Bareilly : Of the 16,461 madrassas in UP, 140 have ‘mini-ITI’ centres that provide diplomas to its students in industrial skills for free. The diplomas help students land jobs in India and abroad, and are especially sought after by those who want to settle in the Gulf or other Asian countries. The courses span over one to two years, unlike regular ITI courses that take four years to complete.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) had released a fund of Rs 285.60 lakh to set up mini ITIs (industrial training institutes) in the 140 madrassas in 2002-3. Students here are trained in three disciplines: carpentry, electronics and sewing. While course in carpentry and sewing take one year to complete, the electronics course is for two years. While a few districts have more than one mini ITI, many like Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit don’t have any. With 13 of them, Basti has the highest number of mini ITIs in the state.
Abdul Salam Khan, manager of Madrassa Ishat-ul-Uloom, one of the oldest madrassas in Bareilly, said, “A majority of students who pursue carpentry and trade at the mini ITI here later go to Gulf and other countries to work at private factories. Of the total 32 students in carpentry and electronics, at least 10 go abroad while the rest get employed here or start their own workshops. Every year, the regional passport office sends us marksheets of our former students for verification.” He added, “Gulf countries prefer madrassa students as they have a complete knowledge of the Quran and Hadith.”
Minority welfare officer of Badaun, Jagmohan Yadav, said, “The students enrolled in mini ITIs get certificates signed by the director of vocational training, who is also the registrar of the UP Madrassa Board. The drawback of these certificates is that they aren’t affiliated to the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) or State Council for Vocational Training (SCVT), which is why the students don’t get government jobs. After the new BJP government was formed in the state, a proposal is under consideration for affiliating these mini ITIs to NCVT or SCVT.”
Mohd Azeem Khan, who is learning electronics at a mini ITI, said, “I have already landed a job in Dubai after I appeared for an interview through Skype. I will join the firm in July next year after I get my diploma.” Nazim Khan, a student of carpentry, said, “Employment opportunities are better abroad, so I am preparing to get a job outside India.”
Chief instructor at Shahjahanpur-based madrassa Darul Uloom Ghouswara, Mohammed Irfan, said, “Shahjhanapur has three mini ITIs and the number of students seeking admission in them has been going up every year. Since we can admit only 16 students for a course at a time, we give preference to those who have already done a course from our madrassa.”
Note: News shared for public awareness with reference from the information provided at online news portals.
