Uttar Pradesh Minority Welfare Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar announced that the state plans to open two new universities to which all madrassas will be affiliated.
Rajbhar stated, “Our effort is to open two universities. We want to attach the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education with the university, and all madrassas should be recognised by the university so that there is no dispute in the future.” He said that if madrassas were operated under universities, the situation would be different.
Currently, madrassas in Uttar Pradesh are recognized by the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education. However, this new proposal seeks to affiliate them with the proposed universities.
The state of Uttar Pradesh has approximately 25,000 madrassas, of which 16,500 are government-recognized, including 560 that receive government aid. However, around 8,500 madrassas remain unrecognized by the state’s madrassa board.
The move has raised concerns among various stakeholders. Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind’s legal advisor, Maulana Kaab Rashidi, urged the government to engage in dialogue with key organizations such as Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, Nadwatul Ulama, and Darul Uloom Deoband before implementing any changes. He highlighted that the Constitution grants minorities the right to establish and run their educational institutions, stressing the importance of safeguarding these constitutional rights.
Iftikhar Ahmed Javed, Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education, expressed surprise at the government’s plan, noting, “It has never been seen or heard before that any education board will be affiliated to a university.” He acknowledged that while the government has the authority to introduce significant changes, it should have considered recognizing unrecognized madrassas before issuing orders to admit their students into state-run schools.
This proposal follows a directive from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) that non-Muslim students studying in government-funded madrassas be admitted to Basic Education Council schools for formal education. The NCPCR also suggested that children in unrecognized madrassas should be moved to state-run schools.
