Islamic seminaries in Bihar will introduce a diploma course in herbal therapy for students to make a career other than the traditional Arabic teacher or mosque cleric.

In a bid to change the image and facilitate their wards to take to professional course in the seminaries (madrasas), Bihar State Madrasas Education Board has decided to introduce new courses on "Unani Medicine" or "Tibbi medicine".

Board chairman Abdul Wahid Ansari said this will be a part of our initiative to provide vocational or professional facility in Madrasas for students. By introducing Unani course, madrasas can now produce health practitioners of age-old herbal medicine, popularly known as Hakim.

The plan, which would be implemented soon, would be introduced in some select madrasas in the first phase. "We are working out on how to introduce Unani medicine course in Madrasas and have prepared a blue print on it," Ansari told rediff.com.

In a fortnight, members of the board and top officials will meet in Patna and discuss in details on this issue.

Ansari said madrasas in Madhya Pradesh have already introduced a Unani medicine course. "The committee is in touch with Madhya Pradesh Madrasa board to study the course introduced by them," he said.

Ansari said it was decided to introduce a one-year diploma course in Unani medicine first.

Ansari, known for his initiative to introduce modern curriculum in madrasas, said the proposal to introduce Unani medicine course is a step to end the scarcity of Hakim or herbal practitioners in the country. "This is an age when the demand for herbal medicine is increasing every day but the number of herbal practitioners is inadequate," he said.

There are over 4,000 madrasas in Bihar including 1,119-state run Islamic schools where the teaching and non-teaching staff get their salaries from the state government.