From madrasa students to doctors: Youth clear NEET amid row over unrecognised madrasas

Several madrasa-educated students have cleared the NEET medical entrance test and are set to become future doctors.

Amid a row over surveys to identify unrecognised madrasas, several madrasa-education students clear medical entrance test NEET and are set to become future doctors.

Hafiz Mohammed Ali Iqbal, a resident of Karnataka's Bengaluru, scored 680 marks in NEET, breaking the stereotype that madrasa students lag behind in modern education. Igbal had completed the Hifzul course through madrasa education.

“The perception is that once students take Hifzul from madrasas, they either become tailors or an Imam. We wanted to be doctors to help the poor as well. Madrasa students also want to study but the reality is they don’t get the right kind of guidance,“ he said.

READ | Number of students enrolled in UP madrasas dropped by 3 lakh in last 6 years

Hafiz Mohammed Saifullah, another madrasa-educated youth from Karnataka, scored 577 and qualified the NEET. He was inspired by his brother who is also a madrasa-educated MBBS graduate.

“My brother, who is a Hafiz Quran graduate, has cleared MBBS. That's why, after madrasa education, I also wanted to do something more than just religious studies," he said.

Hafiz Gulam Ahmed Zerdi, too, cleared the NEET test in his first attempt with a score of 646.