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Uttarakhand Madrasa Board to make Sanskrit mandatory in 416 institutions?
In addition to Sanskrit, the inclusion of computer studies is also under consideration to enrich the academic curriculum for madrassa students.
The Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board (UMEB) is planning to introduce Sanskrit as a compulsory subject in 416 madrassas across the state, having drafted a formal proposal for this initiative.
To implement this change, the board intends to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state's Sanskrit department. In addition to Sanskrit, the inclusion of computer studies is also under consideration to enrich the academic curriculum for madrassa students.
The board introduced the NCERT syllabus in madrassas, resulting in over 95 percent success for students this year, UMEB chairperson Mufti Shamoon Qasmi told The Times of India.
He mentioned that their exceptional performance indicates that adding Sanskrit to the curriculum will significantly aid their educational growth.
The proposal for this initiative has been prepared and discussions with the Sanskrit department are ongoing, the report added.
Qasmi also mentioned that multiple meetings have been held with officials from the Sanskrit department, and they are optimistic about receiving a positive response soon.
The Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board has registered 416 madrassas, which collectively serve over 70,000 students. Moreover, additional madrassas are in the process of applying for registration and this number is expected to increase in the coming years.
Once the government grants approval, these madrassas will start recruiting Sanskrit teachers to implement the new curriculum.
“Arabic is already being taught in over 100 madrassas, and it will be heartening if Sanskrit classes can commence soon. Having both maulvis and pandits teaching will significantly aid in grooming our students,” TOI quoted Qasmi as saying.
Waqf board chairperson Shadab Shams said that that they are planning to transform all 117 madrassas registered with the board into model institutions.
He added that they have reached out to ex-servicemen to help instil a sense of nationalism among the students. With around 1,000 madrassas in Uttarakhand, Shams said that as more madrassas register with the board, they aim to upgrade them.
