Dawra-e-Hadith exams to start on May 15
20,000 to sit for the test
HARUN UR RASHID
Around 20,000 students are going to sit for the Dawra-e-Hadith examinations starting on May 15, with the government, for the first time, treating certificates of successful candidates as being equivalent to masters degrees. Sources said the examinees would start getting their admit cards on May 13, through the boards with which they are registered for taking part in the exams. The sources also told The Independent the examinations would be held in about 225 centres across the country. The exam questions would be in the unitary form. Qawmi Madrasa Board sources said that the Dawra-e-Hadith exams would be held from May 15 to May 25. The certificates given to successful candidates would be equivalent to masters degrees in Islamic Studies and Arabic.
Top-level ulamahs of qawmi madrasas would act as invigilators during the examinations, the sources said. They added there were no plans to invite government officials to be on invigilation duty.
All the preparations to hold the Dawra-e-Hadith examinations have been completed. We hope they will be held properly under the supervision of the controller of examinations and top-level qawmi madrasa leaders, Yahya Mahmud, member of the Maan Bastobayan Committee of the Qawmi Madrasa told The Independent.
This year, around 20,000 students, both male and female, would appear for the exams, he added.
Sources said an 11-member examination committeesix from the Qawmi Madrasa Education Board (BEFAQ) and five from each Qawmi Madrasa Boardhas been formed to conduct the exams.
Mawlana Shamsul Haque of the Gowhardanga Madrasa has been nominated the examination controller. Several subcommittees will oversee the exercise under his supervision.
The examination dates were announced soon after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced, on April 11, the governments decision to recognise the Dawra-e-Hadith certificates as being equivalent to masters degrees in Islamic Studies and Arabic.
The education ministry, on April 13, issued a circular, saying that the masters degree recognition to the Dawra-e-Hadith certificates had been given on the basis of basic principles followed by the Darul Ulum Deobandh of India, while maintaining a separate identity for the qawmi madrasas.
According to the circular, a 15-member committee, led by Allama Ahmed Shafi as chairman, had been formed to ensure the standard of education under the Qawmi Madrasa Board.
This committee would be the highest decision-making body on the certificates, the circular said. The Dawra-e-Hadith examinations would be held under this committee. It is also empowered to form one or more sub-committees to prepare the Dawra-e-Hadith syllabus, work on the examination system, examination schedules, decide on the nature of the question papers, set evaluation norms, announce results, and give away certificates. This committee would keep the education ministry informed about its activities, the circular said.
The circular also said the committee would remain above party politics. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), there are about 13,902 qawmi madrasas in Bangladesh, imparting education to around 1.4 million students across the country.
