Dehradun, June 30 (IANS) Marking a landmark shift in education policy, the Uttarakhand government is set to abolish the existing Uttarakhand Madrasa Board with a newly created umbrella body — Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority. The former will cease to exist from midnight on Tuesday, and the new body will start functioning from Wednesday.

Ahead of the major transition, Uttarakhand Special Secretary Parag Madhukar Dhakate said that the new regulations will come into effect from July 1, bringing all minority institutions under the umbrella of the State Minority Education Authority.

He added that all the minority institutions will start working as the new framework from Wednesday and will expose the children from the minority community to a new realm of modern education.

As per the regulations, the madrasas will cease to conform to conventional practices and adopt the Uttarakhand Board curriculum from July 2026.

The new curriculum will prioritise modern subjects, including Science, Mathematics, Social Science, and Computer Science in these minority institutions.

Those found to be in violation of these guidelines have also been cautioned about the likely closure.

The move has been welcomed from across the quarters, including the educated and scholars within the community.

Uttarakhand Waqf Board Chairman Shadab Shams, speaking out in defence of new minority education board, said that this will bring parity for students graduating from madrasas and make them “capable and efficient” enough to face challenges ahead.

“The Madrasa Education Board will be completely dissolved from July 1, and the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority will take over its responsibilities. The Madrasa Education Board had become ineffective and detrimental to the education of Muslim children. Its curriculum was so outdated and complex that it was difficult for an ordinary person to understand. The new system is intended to bring greater transparency, accountability, and improvements in madrasa education,” Shams noted.

–IANS

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