On Thursday, the Uttarakhand government announced that the government has decided to revitalize the madarsas in the state. Waqf Board Chairman Shadab Shams stated that a dress code would be imposed at all 103 madarsas under the supervision of the Waqf Board in Uttarakhand beginning with the next session.
The Chairman of the Waqf Board also stated that the NCERT syllabus will be implemented in all madarsas in the state. The madarsas will also function from 8 AM to 2 PM like regular schools.
Shadab Shams, speaking on the government’s efforts to modernise the madrasas, stated that the government is also planning to administer the madarsas like regular schools. The Waqf Board Chairman said that seven madarsas will be modernized in the first phase, including two in Dehradun, two in Udham Singh Nagar, two in Haridwar, and one in Nainital.
Shadab Shams said that as per the revised schedule, after the morning namaz at the madarsas at 6.30 AM, there will be a class on Quran studies for one hour. From 8 am to 2 pm, classes will be held on regular subjects like regular schools. He said that the madarsas will have uniforms like any other school, and added that they plan to induct students from all communities in the madarsas, not just Muslims.
Uttarakhand’s madarsas have also been asked to register with the state education board within a month or risk closure. According to the Uttarakhand government, the state has over 400 unregistered madrasas.
“Madarsas have been served an ultimatum to register with the state education department within a month. If they fail to meet the deadline, steps will be taken to shut them,” Uttarakhand Social Welfare and Minority Welfare Minister Chandan Ram Dass had said.
The government stated that it wants the madarsas to be registered so that the students’ welfare may be taken care of and they can benefit from national and state government initiatives. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered the assessment after complaints surfaced that funding allocated to madarsas was not being used properly.