Uttarakhand madrasa to teach Sanskrit: Waqf board
The modern madrasa in Uttarakhand will offer education based on NCERT curriculum and subjects such as science, and mathematics, along with traditional teaching of Quran
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand Waqf Board on Friday said the state’s first modern madrasa will be ready by March and be operational from April 1. It is likely to be inaugurated by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

The modern madrasa will offer education based on NCERT curriculum and subjects such as science, and mathematics, along with traditional teaching of Quran, said officials. It has been built at a cost of ₹50 lakh.
It will also teach students Sanskrit and values of Lord Ram -- contentious decisions that have attracted criticism from Muslim organisations and clerics. Other features of the modern madrasa will include smart classes (visual based education), benches for students to sit comfortably in classes, and a common dress code.
Uttarakhand Waqf board chairman Shadab Shams said, “The first modern madrasa will hopefully get ready in Dehradun’s Muslim Colony by March and its operation will start from April 1. We have installed smart boards, but some work is pending. It will be inaugurated by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.”
He said, “Our plan is to modernise all our madrasas in the state. We will fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of Muslim youth holding a laptop in one hand, and the Quran in the other,” he said.
“Students will be given NCERT curriculum based education in such madrasas. The students will also be taught the Quran, and Arabic and Urdu languages. We will also teach Sanskrit and the values of Lord Ram in the modern madrasas,” Shams said. Each modern madrasa would have over a dozen teachers and a principal, he added
He said teachers are yet to be appointed for the first one.
“We will hire former Army men as physical trainers. We want to instil nationalism in our students and they will be inspired to join the armed forces,” he added.
Wasim Ahmad, the media in-charge of the Muslim Sewa Sangathan, a Dehradun based organisation that works for the rights of Muslims, said the government has been talking about modernizing madrasas for the past two years, but nothing has materialized on the ground. “This is also an attempt to communalise the atmosphere and portray the existing madrasas in a negative light.”
Apart from 117 madrasas affiliated with the Waqf Board, there are 419 madrasas affiliated with the Madrasa Education Board.
The government has also started a drive to identify and close what it terms illegal madrasas, which the Congress has alleged is an attempt to communalise the atmosphere before the urban local body elections due on January 23.
Dhami on this January 9 said, “Whether it is illegal madrasas or encroachment, it should not happen in Uttarakhand at any cost. It is a land of faith, religion, Ayush. We will remove encroachment, and orders have been given for verification of madrasas. The minority welfare department will see to it. The district magistrates and superintendents of police will supervise and run the verification drive.”
State Congress chief Karan Mahara said, “They (government) just talk about modernizing madrasas, and want to divert people’s attention and divide people. The schools across the state are in pathetic condition, despite the fact that they have been in power for 8 years. Why don’t they improve the schools first? It is nothing but a farce.”
Uttarakhand has 13.9 % Muslim population according to the 2011 census, mostly in Terai area. Haridwar and US Nagar districts have over 34 % and 22 % Muslim population respectively.
