The Fal-e-Aam meaning welfare for all was started in 31 July 1972 by Maulana Saadudin, Maulana Hakimimi and Qadri Saifudin. The trust works under the patronage of Jamat-i-islami. The aim of the trust was to provide education to economically poor and rural areas in Kashmir. The trust gained lot of attraction very quickly and spread very fast as it aimed to spread the modern scientific education along with religious education for muslim youth. Since the trust covered religious education as well, it was a substitute to Madrasas. The trust aimed at non-profit educational society supported by public funds and charities. Therefore the trust could not provide proper infrastructure, bared financial weakness and deficiency of other facilities initially. The trust started with ten schools scattered all over the valley and it spread to around 350 schools in which about 300 were run in the valley itself. Fal-e-Aam schools follow NCERT syllabus as prescribed by the state’s education department and the school board. The trust is run by board of governors or trustees of basic members who are the lifetime members of the trust, as long as they continue to contribute literally.
In 1990, the Governor administration banned Jamat-e-Islam for indulging in anti-national activities which may threaten security of the nation. The ban included Fal-e-Aam trust as well. The education system is a building block to the future of nation. Better the literacy rate, faster will be the growth of the nation. Since Jamat-e-Islami controls the functioning of Fal-e-Aam and it is involved in such activities which have potential of disrupting the unity and integrity of the country, there is very thin line between providing education to all and using the organisation to misguide the youth at the early ages. The ban lapsed in 1995. The government also issued notice that no government servant who is a member of or associated with or is invoved with Jamat-e-Islami is liable to disciplinary action.
In February 2019, the central government announced a blanket ban on the Jamat-e-Islami after arresting few of its members. It accused the organisation of indulging in activities which are prejudicial to internal security and public order and have potential of disrupting the unity and integrity of the country. Initially Fal-e-Aam trust was given notice to close down the schools. Many supporters of Jamat-e-Islam started protesting and especially filed petition to lift ban from Fal-e-Aam. Around 250 Kashmiri’s studying in illustrious universities like Harvard, Penn State and Imperial College had sent open letter addressed to Jammu and Kashmir government asking them not to ban schools run by the Fal-e-Aam trust. Incidentally all these students had once studied in the schools run by Fal-e-Aam trust and form part of global alumni network that had risen to this challenge.
When Mr Bilal Majid, an alumni of Fal-e-Aam trust (currently researcher at AMU) heard about the ban, he decided to get the alumni together to file a petition. Signatories included people from Harvard university, Harvard Medical School, Imperial College London, University of Westminster and other universities in Netherlands, Germany and Indian universities like JNU, AMU, UoH, Jamia and other universities. As almost 3000 people signed the petition. Later it was clarified that schools would not be closed down
and educational institutes were excluded from ban. Thousands of Fal-e-Aam teachers were absorbed in government services. The trust even went to court and the ban was overturned. After that, the trust handed over most of its schools to mohalla and village management. As per reports, Fal-e-Aam trust now runs less than a dozen of schools directly.
Many have alleged that the children studying in Fal-e-Aam trust are being taught radical ideologies and misguided. People have also claimed that the students studying in this trust have been misled and are being used to increase militancy in the Kashmir valley. Recently there have been raids on various Fal-e-Aam trust establishments in connection with a case related to NGOs and trusts diverting funds meant for charitable activities to “secessionist and separatist activities” in Jammu and Kashmir. It is disappointing to hear such news wherein funds collected domestically and abroad through so called donations and then using them to fund terror activities. However, many are of the opinion that the raids by NIA do have political agendas. It is very difficult to say whether Fal-e-Aam has been a boon or bane to the Kashmiri locals. Much of Jamat-e-Islami’s charitable work has been obfuscated because of its politics, its deep affiliation to Pakistan, its support to various separatist groups and its role in the new defunct Hurriyat. The organisation has been banned four times since independence. So all the above data makes it obvious to create concern about Fal-e-Aam trust since it functions under Jamat-e-Islami.
Fal-e-Aam trust, is it an education system? Well the statistics as per reports don’t support fully to this fact. In the recent past more than 50-60 percent who joined militancy in Kashmir are locals. Reports say that the Jamat-e Islami has been using its network to schools to further promote anti-India feeling among children in the valley. The leaders of the organisation have been encouraging youth to join militant tanzeems.
The aim of Fal-e-Aam trust (welfare to all) is to provide education economically to poor and rural areas across the valley. The initiative taken must be applauded since it helps in increasing the literacy rate and it goes with the motto Education to all. However the area of concern which raises the question is since it is set up by Jamat-e-Islami and the organisation has been banned several times due to its indulgence in activities that are against the interest of the nation. Is Jamat-e-Islam using the education system set up in its interest? If the trust concentrates on its aim with which it was started and genuinely run the schools with the aim to provide education to all, then it would spread education across the valley and help in guiding young minds of the valley in right direction.
