Exam season is now around the corner. New year’s arrival drives students in classes 10 and 12 very close to their preliminary and board exams. The lack of a peaceful space to study for examinations is a big issue for students who live on streets and small, crowded places across Mumbai.
This week, a meeting was organised by the All India Ulama Council (AIUC) at the Anjuman-I-Islam headquarters in the city. The educationists in the meeting discussed how opening mosques during non-prayer hours and using government premises could be a solution to the issue.
According to a recent research that was conducted by the organisation, students were using a variety of locations, including parks and railway stations, to study for examinations, said AIUC representative Salim Alware.
The study discovered that one train station, Ram Mandir on the Western Railway, was a hub for Jogeshwari students to study.
Students devote several hours of their day to prepare for their finals during the exam season, which runs from December through April. During this time, SSC and HSC students are not permitted to enter their classrooms or libraries. Their research revealed that noise from televisions at home causes the most disturbance for students. The organization believes students should be given the chance to complete their coursework without interruption, said Alware.
He further added that their study found that in Mumbai, there are over 1,800 large mosques. These mosques remain largely unused during the non-prayer period. Alware said that mosques are used, on average, for only two hours a day for prayers. Hence, students in Mumbai can sit in mosques and prepare for their tests.
He said that in order to address the students' issue, a delegation of local leaders will approach the state government for assistance.
On the other hand, AIUC member Nizamuddin Rayin said that it would be better to use official spaces for the purpose, such as night schools, police stations, and balwadis (kindergartens). Academician Zeba Malik concurred that mosques might not be a suitable choice because female students wouldn't be able to enter the premises.
Attorney Farhana Shah suggested that the community should consider Maharashtra College and Anjuman-I-Islam, which are managed by Muslim trusts as study centers.
Although there are short-term fixes, academician Shabana Khan, a member of the AIUC, stated that efforts should be made to establish long-term study centers. She said that establishing locations where students can prepare for competitive exams should be the objective. The study centers can serve as the cornerstone for developing future leaders, as the community lacks leaders, says Khan.
After this discussion, a proposal for opening mosques and government premises for students appearing for exams is being sent to the government.
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