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The Uttarakhand government has tightened its stance regarding the education system of madrassas. Now only those madrasas will be able to operate in the state which fulfill the prescribed standards and get recognition from Uttarakhand Minority Education Authority and are affiliated to the Uttarakhand School Education Board. Madrasas that do not take recognition will be closed by taking action against them as per rules.

Amidst the government's strictness regarding madrassas, a case of alleged objectionable comments at Trishul Chowk during the Jashn-e-Mohammadi procession in Rudrapur also came to light. In this case, the police had arrested the concerned Maulvi. After this the district administration had sealed his madrassa. It was told by the administration that the concerned madrassa was operating without the prescribed recognition and was not following the applicable rules.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has reiterated the government's strict policy towards any activity promoting radicalism in the state. According to the Chief Minister, such education system which promotes fanaticism will not be given place in Devbhoomi. He has said that the rules and regulations made by the government will apply equally to all institutions and their compliance will be ensured under all circumstances. Action will be taken against those who violate the rules as per law.

After this decision of the government, now the eyes are on those 452 pre-registered madrassas, out of which about 200 have applied for recognition. After on-site inspection and scrutiny of documents, it will be decided which madrassas meet the new standards and which institutions will face action.

Secretary of Minority Department, Dr. Parag Madhukar Dhakate said that 452 madrassas previously registered in the Uttarakhand Madrassa Board in the state will now have to get recognition under the Minority Education Authority. He said that the madrassas which do not take recognition as per the prescribed procedure will not be allowed to operate.

He said that so far online applications from about 200 madrassas have been received. On the basis of these applications, on-site inspection of the concerned madrassas is being conducted.

Will have to be linked to the national curriculum, religious education curriculum also within the scope of authority: The government has made it mandatory for madrassas to meet the standards of the formal education system rather than a system limited only to religious education. According to officials, along with recognition, madrassas will have to take affiliation from Uttarakhand School Education Board and provide education to the students as per the National Education Curriculum.

Chairman of Minority Education Authority Prof. Surjit Singh Gandhi said that for recognition, madrassas will have to provide information about their buildings, capacity of rooms, seating arrangements for students, basic facilities including electricity, drinking water and toilets. Apart from this, details of bank accounts and financial assistance received by the institution will also be sought from the madrasa operators. The authority will take a decision on recognition after examining all these aspects.

Pro. Gandhi said that the curriculum to religious education imparted in madrassas will also be determined by the authority. He said that the scope of the Minority Education Authority will not be limited to Muslim institutions only, but Sikh, Buddhist and Christian institutions will also be included in its purview.

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