A recent survey conducted by the Uttar Pradesh State Government identified over 7,500 unrecognized madarsas in the state, said State Minority Welfare Minister Dharam Pal Singh. The survey is being conducted in order to grant recognition to unrecognized madarsas that meet the government’s specified prerequisites.
“A high-powered committee will now decide on them,” Dharm Pal Singh told the media.
Only after all the district magistrates submit their reports by November 15 will the final list of unrecognized madrasas be released.
Nearly 7,500 madrasas found running without recognition in survey conducted by Uttar Pradesh govt, says minister Dharm Pal Singh
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 29, 2022
Iftikhar Ahmed Javed, Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education, stated that while the process of determining the exact numbers will take time, they have estimated that there are around 7,500 such madarsas that were surveyed by teams in 75 districts by Thursday.
“There are 16,513 recognized madrassas in Uttar Pradesh, of which 560 were provided government grants in form of salary to teaching and non-teaching employees. The pay scale of the teaching staff of 560 madarsas is similar to those in central government schools,” Chairman Javed said.
The madarsa modernization scheme provides grants for Shiksha Mitra to 744 madarsas, as well as a scholarship to meritorious students from all authorized madarsas.
Madarsas meeting government-mandated criteria such as basic facilities like proper classrooms, furniture for madarsa students, drinking water, fans, lights, toilet, and others were given grants.
They can also apply for payment for both teaching and non-teaching employees. According to a government spokesman, Gorakhpur has 150 unauthorised madarsas, Lucknow, Azamgarh, Varanasi, and Mau have 100, Aligarh has 90, Kanpur has 85, Prayagraj has 70, and Agra has 35 such madarsas.
The Uttar Pradesh government had on September 1 announced that it would survey unrecognized madarsas of the state to ascertain information such as details of teachers and students, curriculum, and its affiliation with any non-government organization.
Danish Azad Ansari, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, had stated that the survey would be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which wants to check on the basic facilities provided to students in madrasas. The minister went on to say that the survey would help gather additional information such as the name of the madarsa and the institution that runs it, whether it is run in a private or rented building, and information about basic facilities such as drinking water, furniture, electricity, and toilets, among other things.
Conducting a survey amidst a heated political war of words and calls from several Islamist leaders to ‘welcome’ survey teams with shoes and slippers was certainly not a cakewalk. Maulana Sajid Rashidi, the President of the All India Imam Association cornered the UP government for surveying the unrecognized madarsas. On September 14, he appealed to the madarsa authorities to welcome the state surveying authorities with slippers, and shoes and bash them with the 2009 law related to madarsas.
