PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION (2021) 58(1): 633-646 ISSN: 00333077 633 www.psychologyandeducation.net Education in Madrassa: Understanding the Motivation and Prospects of Passed out Students in Abbottabad, Pakistan Adnan Ahmad Dogar 1* , Mubashir Ahmad 1 , Syed Wajahat Ali 2 , Ikram Shah 3 1* Corresponding author: Department of Development Studies, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus. Email: adnandogar@ciit.net.pk 1, 3 Department of Development Studies, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus. 2 National Defence University, Islamabad ABSTRACT Religious institutions have become a highly debated field especially after the incident of 9/11. A section of scholars held madrassa students responsible for growing unemployment and despair in the society. Besides the formal education in Pakistan hundreds of thousands of students are also studying in madrassas. The curricula being taught in madrassas is out dated and nonconforming with the contemporary needs of the society. The study analyzed the motivation behind student enrollments in the madrassas and socio economic role of the passed out students of madrassa. Primary data was collected from 143 respondents consisting of enrolled and passed out students, teachers and administration staff of madrassas through questionnaires followed up with in depth interviews and focus group discussion. The study revealed that high number of students (58% male &52 female) joined madrassa due to the poverty. Overall 70% parents were found to be illiterate or less educated (illiterate 15%, & below matric 55%) whereas 78% students belonged from large and overburdened families. On the other hand, the unemployment ratio was found to low (10%) in male students and surprisingly high in female students (65%) due to various cultural factors. However, the employed respondents (85% male and 13% female) were found to be receiving very low income depicting a negligible economic role of the passed-out students of madrassa. On contrary the social and political role of the madrassa was reveled surprisingly significant. Keywords: Madrassa, islamic religious education, Abbottabad, Pakistan Article Received: 18 October 2020, Revised: 3 November 2020, Accepted: 24 December 2020 Introduction The term “Madrassa” has multiple meanings. Generally, it is a term given in Arabic to any school (Riaz, 2008). However, in religious sense, Madrassas are schools whose primary goal is to deliver religious education. Usually a Madrassa system or Deni-Madaris are known as the religious educational institutes which focus on religious teachings, life of Prophet, literature and the Quran. There is no fixed course of study and the interpretation of the text and syllabus also varies from one school of thought to another (Fair, 2008). Madrassas existed for centuries in the Islamic world however their formation can probably be traced to be the early Islamic custom to meet in the mosques to discuss religious issues. As an institution of learning, Madarassas are century’s long-standing tradition of Muslim society. One of the first established madrassas, called the “Madrassa Nizamiya” of Baghdad was built in 11 th century AD. At Nizamia, thousands of students would stay and enjoy the facilities of food, shelter and scholarship along with the education. Along with Nizamia and other renowned madrassas of medieval times hundreds of mudrasas were widespread in all around the Muslim world (Riaz, 2008). 1.1 Madrassa Education in Pakistan Academy of Educational Planning and Management (AEPAM) reported that 22.8 million children in Pakistan are out of schools (Dawan, 2019). The literacy rate of children is only 40 per cent for 70 million children between the ages of 4 and 16 (Shami & Hussain, 2006). Non availability of government schools and limited capacity of private schools leaves masses with no other option but to send their children to religious schools (Zaidi, 1999). There is rapid increase in the number of students studying in Madrassas. There were three million students enrolled in Madrassas in