Madrasas in Uttar Pradesh state of India will soon start teaching from science and maths textbooks printed by the NCERT, deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma said today.
“Madrasas will teach using NCERT text books. The board has started preparations,” Sharma said today.
Science and maths have been made mandatory from high-school level in all schools.
Unlike in other parts of India, many people in North India do not send their children to regular schools, but only to religious schools such as Madrasas and Saraswati Shishu Mandirs.
The former are controlled by the state Madrasa board, and impart Quoran-based education, while the latter are controlled by the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh.
The move could invite some criticism, but also some support as religious schools are blamed for churing out graduates who have no particular skill other than teaching religion.
Ansar Raza, a Mulsim cleric from UP, said the intention of the government was not to benefit the Muslim community, but to carry out ‘saffronization’ of Madrasas.
“Their intention is not to create development in the Muslim community, but to torture us,” he said.
They are also blamed for increasing fundamentalist tendencies.