Yogi Adityanath proposes committee for madrasa education reform
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath says students studying in madrasas should have access to the full spectrum of modern education
In a strong push for reforms in Uttar Pradesh’s madrasa education system, chief minister Yogi Adityanath highlighted the need for strict compliance with infrastructural standards before granting official recognition to any madrasa in the state.
He also proposed forming a committee under the chairmanship of the director of minority welfare, Uttar Pradesh, to recommend necessary reforms for the smooth functioning of madrasas, job security for teachers, and a better future for the students.
Chairing a high-level meeting on Friday to review the current state of madrasa education, the chief minister underlined the importance of ensuring that madrasas do not remain limited to religious teachings alone.
“Students studying in madrasas should have access to the full spectrum of modern education,” Yogi Adityanath said.
“There’s a need to bring changes in the madrasa curriculum in line with the New Education Policy 2020. It is also necessary to update the eligibility criteria for teachers and non-teaching staff in accordance with the curriculum. The teacher selection process must be made fair and transparent. The current system of appointing teachers in madrasas also needs to be reviewed,” he added.
In this regard, the chief minister proposed a committee which will include special secretaries from the basic education, secondary education, finance, law, and minority welfare departments.
He pointed out the challenges that have emerged following the Supreme Court’s declaration of the Kamil (graduate) and Fazil (postgraduate) degrees of the Madrasa Board as unconstitutional.
He stressed on aligning the recognition standards and requirements of madrasas with those of regular schools managed by the education department.
Earlier in the meeting, the minority welfare and waqf department gave a detailed presentation about the current status of madrasas, the main challenges they face and their plans.
The chief minister was informed that there are currently 13,329 recognised madrasas in the state, where 12,35,400 students are studying. Out of these, 9,979 madrasas are at the primary and upper primary levels (Classes 1 to 8), and 3,350 are at the secondary and higher secondary levels (Classes 9 to 12).
Among them, 561 madrasas receive government grants and they have 2,31,806 registered students. These grant-aided madrasas have 9,889 teachers and 8,367 non-teaching staff, all of whom have been receiving salaries and allowances as per the Seventh Pay Commission’s recommendations since January 1, 2016.
The chief minister was informed that the Madrasa Portal was launched in August 2017, which made all the functions of the Madrasa Education Council online. A total of 19,123 madrasas registered on the portal, out of which 13,329 have been verified and locked. Through this portal, systems like online exams, certificates, verification, and integration with the U-DISE code have been implemented, ensuring transparency and accountability. However, the number of students appearing in board exams has steadily declined over the years.
In 2016, 4,22,627 students appeared, but by 2025, this number dropped to only 88,082.
The chief minister called this a serious concern and said that there is a need for improvement.
Officials also said that the Madrasa Education Council now conducts exams only at the Maulvi/Munshi (secondary) and Alim (senior secondary) levels. To improve the quality of education, the SCERT curriculum has been implemented and fully enforced from the academic year 2025–26. Efforts are also underway to align the curriculum for Classes 9 to 12 with the State Secondary Education Council. The curriculum now includes not only religious subjects like theology, Arabic, and Persian, but also modern subjects such as mathematics, science, social science, Hindi and English.
