Madrasa in graveyard to be shifted to govt school building

Functioning in the open from a burial ground for the last 14 years, a madrasa in Rajasthan’s Dholpur district will now finally have its own building

Functioning in the open from a burial ground for the last 14 years, a madrasa in Rajasthan’s Dholpur district will now finally have its own building.

During a class at the madrasa in Dholpur district. (HT Photo)

The Dholpur district administration Wednesday ordered to shift the madrasa into a vacant government primary school building. District collector (DC) Shuchi Tyagi’s order comes a day after Hindustan Times highlighted the plight of the students at the madrasa situated inside a graveyard in Saipau town.

“A government primary school was merged with a middle school several years ago. Since then its building has been lying vacant. I have directed the sub-divisional magistrate of Saipau to shift the madrasa in that building within a week,” Tyagi said.

The DC said that a proposal would also be sent to the concerned authorities to allot the madrasa a new building. “We can’t have children studying in the open. Once the madrasa is shifted, steps will be taken to increase the enrolment,” Tyagi added.

Enrolment at the madrasa up to Class 5 has declined over the years, leaving it with only 50 students now.

The madrasa was set up on August 8, 2003 by the Rajasthan Madrasa Board but no building was sanctioned for it. The local Madrasa Injamiya Committee had earlier written to the district officials, MP Manoj Rajoria, transport minister Yunus Khan and even chief minister seeking a building for the madrasa, but no action was taken.

Khan said that even as the state government claims to be working towards bringing down the dropout rate, the condition of the madrasa running from the graveyard in Dholpur spoke volumes.

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje is married into the Dholpur royal family.