No, the Kerala government does not allocate any funds for the payment of salaries to Madrasa teachers - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 4, 2024
A social media post claims that the Kerala government is providing unwarranted benefits to the Muslim community. The content in the post provides information about the number of Madrasas in operation in the state and the government’s expenditure on the teachers in these Madrasas The post alleges that there are 21,683 Madrasas in the state with 2,04,683 teachers, and the Kerala government is spending Rs. 123 crores on their salaries. This article aims to fact-check the assertions made in the post.
Claim: The Kerala government allocates a substantial sum for the salaries of Madrasa teachers.
Fact: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan explicitly stated in the assembly that the state government does not allocate any funds from its treasury for the payment of salaries or other benefits to Madrasa teachers. The salaries of Madrasa teachers are covered by the respective Madrasa committees, with payment based on the financial capacity of each committee. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral message has been circulating for a minimum of two years. While the post identifies KT Jalil as the education minister, it’s important to note that the current Education Minister in Kerala is Vasudevan Sivan Kutty. KT Jalil held the Minority Welfare ministerial position during the previous term.
Kerala Madarsas and teachers:
In 2019, the Kerala government enacted the Kerala Madrasa Teachers Welfare Fund Bill, establishing a welfare fund for Madarsa teachers. Presenting the bill, the former Minority Welfare Minister, KT Jalil, mentioned that there are 21,683 Madrasas in the state of Kerala, employing a combined total of 2,04,683 teachers (here & here). These Madrasa details align with the assertions made in the claim.
However, when the same assertion gained traction in 2021, The Quint contacted the CEO of the Kerala Madrassa Welfare Board. The CEO clarified that there are 27,814 madrasas in Kerala operated by various organizations, with 1,70,816 teachers associated with these institutions.
Madrasa teacher’s salary:
In response to the identical assertion, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan explicitly declared in the assembly that the state government does not allocate any funds from its treasury to pay salaries or other benefits to Madrasa teachers (here & here). Additionally, responding to The Quint, the then Minister KT Jaleel explained, “The salaries of madrasa teachers are covered by the respective madrasa committees, with payment based on the financial capacity of each committee.” In contrast to the viral claim, this establishes that the government is not covering the expenses for the salaries of madrasa teachers.
As per the information available on the website of the Directorate of Minority Welfare, Kerala government, there are 16 coaching centers in the state dedicated to assisting Muslim youths in preparing for competitive exams. The information indicates that the teachers of these coaching centers receive a fixed sum of Rs 25,000. This information has probably been misinterpreted as the salary for teachers in Madrasas across the entire state. Nonetheless, there is no specific mention of the salary for a typical madrasa teacher. Earlier Factly debunked a similar claim about madrasas of Kerala.
To sum it up, no, the Kerala government is not spending a substantial sum on the salaries of Madrasa teachers.