The Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board will introduce the syllabus of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) from the next academic session commencing from March.
“Modern education will be imparted along with religious education to the students. Now, children in madrasas will be able to study computers, mathematics and science,” UP Madrasa Education Board chairman Iftikhar Ahmed Javed said here on Tuesday.
In November, the Uttarakhand Waqf Board had also decided to introduce NCERT syllabus in all the 103 madrasas run by it across the state. It has also decided that from this year’s academic session, madrasas will be open to children of all religions and that a uniform dress code will be introduced as part of efforts to modernise education in Islamic schools.
“Bringing madrasa students into the mainstream is our priority. We will also try and get a Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliation for madrasas in the years to come,” Javed said.
In September, the UP government had ordered the survey of unrecognised madrasas across the state to gather information such as source of funds, number of teachers and curriculum among other details.
The decision to carry out the survey had stoked fear among people associated with madrasas and Muslim groups.
The Jamait Ulema-e-Hind had described the survey as a draconian move by the government to malign Islamic institutions. The Muslim group said it would protect the madrasas at all cost.