The Uttarakhand cabinet has cleared the Bill, which mandates the dissolution of the existing Madrasa Board and compels madrasas to affiliate with the state’s Board of School Education. The Bill also widens minority-institution status beyond Muslim-run schools to include colleges run by Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis.
Rawat, speaking in Dehradun, argued that madrasas perform a supplementary role in the educational landscape—akin to Sanskrit schools devoted to religious philosophy—and that the government should focus on reforming and upgrading the Madrasa Board rather than supplanting it entirely. He warned the Bill will impose uniform standards that undermine madrasa autonomy and curb curricular flexibility.
According to the text of the Bill, all madrasa institutions must align with the Uttarakhand Board of School Education by July 1, 2026, including exam protocols, syllabus standards and administrative oversight. The Bill explicitly repeals the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board Act, 2016, and the Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules, 2019.
The government justifies these reforms as a move toward transparency and standardisation. Under the new scheme, recognition to minority institutions will only be granted if they register under the Societies, Trusts or Companies Act, maintain institutional assets in their own name, and guard against withdrawal of status due to financial mismanagement or breach of social harmony clauses. It also allows the teaching of Gurmukhi and Pali languages in recognised minority institutions beginning July 1, 2026.
Some Muslim organisations have voiced deep concern. They contend that abolition of the madrasa board erodes rights guaranteed under Articles 26 and 30 of the Constitution, which protect minority communities’ rights to establish and manage their own educational institutions. Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind’s Uttarakhand wing has pledged legal scrutiny of the Bill’s provisions.
Mufti Shamoon Qazmi, president of the former Madrasa Board, welcomed the changes, suggesting that standardisation will raise educational quality without diluting religious instruction. He assured that religious education would continue under the new regime and predicted long-term gains for students across communities.
State BJP officials defend the Bill as an egalitarian reform. They argue that granting minority-institution status beyond Muslim schools once exclusive to a single community aligns with broader developmental goals, and will provide oversight to eliminate irregularities in some unregulated institutions.
Critics of the Bill contend that its timing is suspicious. Rawat suggested it is a response to the BJP’s underperformance in local elections rather than an educational imperative. He questioned why the government targets “Urdu-named” institutions, asserting that attacks on madrasa identity reflect cultural insensitivity and communal bias.
Administratively, implementation poses significant challenges. Thousands of madrasas must reapply for recognition under new criteria, adapt infrastructure, retrain educators, and reconfigure curriculum. Smaller institutions with limited funding may struggle to meet new demands. With the bill’s introduction slated for the upcoming legislative session, debates over constitutional protections, educational freedom and state control are poised to intensify.