Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government is set to dissolve the existing Uttarakhand Madrasa Board from midnight on Tuesday, with a newly created umbrella body, the 'Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority', taking over its responsibilities from July 1.
The move marks a major shift in the state’s minority education policy. Uttarakhand Special Secretary Parag Madhukar Dhakate said the new regulations would come into effect from Wednesday, bringing all minority educational institutions under the framework of the State Minority Education Authority.
He said all minority institutions would begin functioning under the new system from July 1, which aims to provide students from minority communities access to modern education.
Under the new regulations, madrasas will move away from the existing conventional system and adopt the Uttarakhand Board curriculum from July 2026.
The updated curriculum will focus on modern subjects, including Science, Mathematics, Social Science and Computer Science, alongside other areas of learning.
Authorities have also warned that institutions failing to comply with the new guidelines could face closure.
The decision has received support from several sections, including educated members and scholars from the minority community.
Uttarakhand Waqf Board Chairman Shadab Shams defended the creation of the new minority education authority, saying it would help bring greater equality for students graduating from madrasas and make them more capable of meeting future challenges.
“The Madrasa Education Board will be completely dissolved from July 1, and the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority will take over its responsibilities. The Madrasa Education Board had become ineffective and detrimental to the education of Muslim children. Its curriculum was so outdated and complex that it was difficult for an ordinary person to understand,” Shams said.
He added that the new system was aimed at improving transparency, accountability and the overall quality of madrasa education.
With IANS inputs