uttarakhand madrassa

452 Seminaries Told To Shift Under New Minority Education Authority

The Uttarakhand government has given what it termed a "final warning" to the madrassas in the Himalayan state to register themselves with the education department or be ready to face closure.

The Madrassa Welfare Society of Uttarakhand (MWSU), a social organisation which oversees 207 madrassas across the state in which over 25,000 children study, has approached the state government with a request to include Sanskrit as one of the languages taught to its students

A six-member committee of the uttarakhand madrassa Education Board (UMEB) on Wednesday cleared a proposal to include Sanskrit and computer science as optional subjects in madrassas in the state from the next academic session. The committee was headed by additional director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Uttarakhand, Pushpa Joshi.

In an effort to bring madrassas on equal terms with other educational institutes of the Himalayan state, the Uttarakhand Waqf Board has decided to develop seven out of its 103 madrassas as model madrassas, where students of all religions can study. Students would have a proper dress code in these institutions, which would be registered with the Uttarakhand Education Board.

A six-member committee of the uttarakhand madrassa Education Board (UMEB) on Wednesday cleared a proposal to include Sanskrit and computer science as optional subjects in madrassas in the state from the next academic session. The committee was headed by joint director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Uttarakhand, Pushpa Joshi.

Days after the Uttar Pradesh government began surveying madrassas in the state, Uttarakhand on Tuesday announced that it will also carry out a similar exercise. While UP is carrying out the survey only for unrecognized madrassas, the Uttarakhand administration said it would look into both registered and unregistered madrassas.

Madrassas under the Uttarakhand Waqf Board will introduce Ramayan teachings and Sanskrit in their curriculum from the next academic year starting in March or April. Ex-defence personnel will be hired as physical education instructors. The initiative aims to modernize education and foster nationalism, starting with four madrassas and expanding to all 117 managed by the Waqf Board eventually.

Madrassas of Uttarakhand have shot down a directive issued by the state government sometime back asking all educational establishments which were under it to display a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their premises.

The minority welfare department of Uttarakhand on Monday announced a three-member panel to find out the education level in the madrassas in Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand has become the first state in the country to start games period in registered madrassas from the next academic year starting July. The move to add games period in the daily timetable is aimed at bringing the madrassa students on par with mainstream schools

The Uttarakhand Waqf Board has decided to implement the NCERT syllabus in madrassas across the state. Currently, there are 419 registered madrassas in the state, out of which 103 are of the waqf board. A decision has been taken in a recent meeting of the board to introduce the NCERT syllabus in 103 madrassas as part of a pilot project. Religious teachings will take place from 6 am to 8 am in these institutions, followed by regular classes, Uttarakhand Waqf Board chairman, Shadab Shams, said. Besides, the board has also decided to develop one madrassa as 'smart madrassa' and 10 others as model institutions, he added.

“We are getting to hear various things about madrassas at different locations. A detailed survey is extremely important to get a clear picture of such institutions (sic),” chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Tuesday.

Growing up as the eldest of four siblings, Mohmmad Arshad wanted to go abroad and start working to help his brothers and father, who is a labourer in Dehradun. However, the 21-year-old’s dream came crashing down when the passport he had applied for came in ECR category that is marked for illiterates. He had passed class X from Maulana Abul Kalam Madrassa but the state government didn’t recognize his uttarakhand madrassa Education Board (UMEB) certificate.

In Uttarakhand, five madrassas, including three in Dehradun, were sealed by local authorities despite having official recognition from the state madrassa board. Seminary managers attribute this to delayed delivery of recognition letters amidst an ongoing crackdown on "illegal" madrassas. The madrassa board has suspended the sealing work and initiated a probe, promising to allow operations upon document verification.

Over 200 unregistered madrassas have been identified in Uttarakhand, prompting an investigation into their registration status, funding sources, and student details. A district-level committee is overseeing the probe, and a report will be submitted within a month. Authorities emphasize the need for compliance and transparent action.

Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board is set to introduce Sanskrit as a mandatory subject in 416 registered madrassas, alongside computer studies. A formal proposal and discussions with the state's Sanskrit department are underway, targeting implementation from the next academic session.

The uttarakhand madrassa Education Board (UMEB), established in 2011, was formed under the aegis of the state government in order to bring recognition to the madrassa education in the state.

In response to the members of the Madrassa Association of Uttarakhand, who have questioned the rationale behind the statewide survey announced on Tuesday, the new waqf board chairman and BJP leader Shadab Shams has said that the aim behind the move is to provide students with best possible infrastructure. He said, "We want our students to become doctors and engineers. We aim to provide them with the best possible facility and education. There is no need for madrassa owners to worry. By bringing them under the ambit of the Waqf Board, we will be providing them with the required funds. The move will help students."

The salaries of several of Uttarakhand’s 700 madrassa teachers, who had not been paid for the last five years, have finally been released by the central government but only for the period between October 2016 and March 2017 (six months).

The story of Lord Ram will be made a part of the new syllabus for madrassas affiliated to the Uttarakhand Waqf Board from the new academic session commencing this year. Of the 117 madrassas under the board, the new syllabus will be introduced initially in four madrassas in Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts. After the recruitment of teachers, it would be taken up in the remaining 113 madrassas, officials said.