Grants may flow as UP spots 7,500 unrecognized madrassas

LUCKNOW: On Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that it has identified over 7,500 unrecognized madrassas in the survey conducted across the 75 districts – which had kickstarted in September. These madrassas have now opportunity to get themselves recognized with the UP madrassa board after fulfilling the criteria laid down by the government. It also opens the possibility of government ‘grant’ for the madrassa staff, including the non-teaching ones.

The final figures about the unrecognized madrassas will be released after district magistrates submit their reports on November 15. Official sources claimed that there are a few districts such as Balrampur who are still conducting the surveys or compiling the data, as the districts were heavily affected due to floods and rains.

Speaking to TOI, UP board of madrassa education chairman Iftikhar Ahmed Javed said, “The actual figures about recognized madrassas will still take time, but by Thursday evening, we have calculated around 7,500 madrassas which were surveyed by teams in 75 districts.”

At present, there are 16,513 recognized madrassas in UP, out of which, 560 are given government grants (salary to staff, including teaching and non-teaching ones).

There are 350 madrassas where the staff strength is more than 15. The teaching staff of 560 madrassas have pay scales equivalent to the central government-run secondary schools and a teacher gets Rs 80,000 to Rs 1.15 lakh per month. Currently, close to 10,000 staff are employed in 560 madrassas. In addition, 744 madrassas receive grants for ‘shiksha mitra’ under madrassas modernisation scheme and scholarship is given to meritorious students of all registered madrassas.

“These unrecognized madrassas will be given opportunity to get themselves recognized under UP board of madrassa education after they fulfil the government laid criteria, such as ensuring basic facilities for running madrassa which includes classroom, table/bench/chairs for students, proper lights/fans, toilets, drinking water and others. Further, they can also apply for salaries for teaching and non-teaching staff,” he added.