Calling them centers providing “substandard” education, the Assam Assembly consisting of 126 members, passed a bill approving the abolition of Islamic schools and their transformation into regular schools from 1st April 2021.
These schools or madrasas, as commonly called, will now be changed into general teaching institutions where the 50 marks-carrying subjects, Theology, will no more be taught.
Madrasas are schools where students learn about the Quran and Islamic history, along with other subjects like science, mathematics, etcetera.
The state, governed by the Centre’s ruling party BJP, will witness the change in over 700 government-funded Islamic schools with no effect on private institutions as it has earlier stated in February 2020, that “religious teachings cannot be imparted with government funds in a secular country”.
Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made the announcement on his Twitter handle amid criticism from opposition parties. “Glad that the Bill pertaining to repeal of Provincialisation of Madrassas has been passed, even as @INCAssam and @AIUDFOfficial expectedly staged a walkout in Assembly. All Madrassas, being run under government stands converted into regular educational institute wef April 1, 2021,” his tweet read.
Glad that the Bill pertaining to repeal of Provincialisation of Madrassas has been passed, even as @INCAssam and @AIUDFOfficial expectedly staged a walkout in Assembly. All Madrassas, being run under government stands converted into regular educational institute wef April 1, 2021
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 30, 2020
“All government madrasa institutes will be converted into upper primary, high and higher secondary schools with no change of status, pay, allowances and service conditions of the teaching and non-teaching staff,” he said.
Many opposition leaders said the move reflected the government’s anti-Muslim outlook. “The idea is to wipe out Muslims,” said Wajed Ali Choudhury of Congress.
Speaking to the local media, Sarma said, “We need more doctors, police officers, bureaucrats, and teachers, from the minority Muslim community rather than Imams for mosques.”
The government will change madrasas to regular schools as the quality of education furnished in them could not help and prepare students for “the temporal world and its earthly concerns,” he said.
The Assam Repealing Bill, 2020 requires the abolishment of the Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialization) Act, 1995 and the Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialization of Services of Employees and Re-Organisation of Madrassa Educational Institutions) Act, 2018.
Starting January 2022, under the bill, 97 Sanskrit learning centers in western Assam’s Nalbari will be converted into research centers that will be affiliated to a Sanskrit university that also teaches ancient studies.
On the other hand, Islamic schools are being changed strictly into regular schools along with the drop of the name “madrasa”.
While there are 189 high and higher secondary madrasas functioning under the Board of Secondary Education of Assam and Assam Higher Secondary Education Council, the north-eastern state has 542 pre-senior, senior and title madrasa and Arabic colleges operated by the State Madrasa Education Board. All of which are going to be converted.
Following the recent approval of the State Cabinet on the madrasa proposal, Sarma had said, “We’ve taken a historical decision to secularise the State’s education system.”
34.22% of Assam’s population consists of Muslims, says the 2011 census of the Indian government.
Attacking BJP’s government over the bill, senior state opposition leader Debabrata Saikia said the law was passed to ensure the BJP gets more Hindu votes in its kitty. “It is a polarization tactic,” Saikia said. “(The BJP) is trying to do it in an official capacity. There is no such need for a law.”
