Assam govt renames 1,281 madrasas to "Middle English" schools

Guwahati: The Assam Education Ministry has announced the renaming of 1,281 madrasas in the state into "Middle English" schools, NDTV reported.

Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu claimed that the move was to promote uniformity and inclusivity inside the state's education system.

Pegu wrote on X, "Consequent to the conversion of all government and provincialised madrasas into general schools under SEBA (School Education Board of Assam), SEBA has changed the names of 1,281 madrasas into ME schools by a notification today."

NDTV reports that the current move comes following Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's earlier announcements, hinting at shutting down all madrasas in the state.

The state government had decided last year to stop state-run madrasas and convert them into public schools. The decision had invited severe flak.

The Directorate of Elementary Education in Assam monitored the conversion of government-provincialsed madrasas into regular schools. Earlier, the state government had said that it had spent Rs 500 core running these madrasas, NDTV writes.

Uttar Pradesh is also coming down hard on madrasas. Madhyamam reported in October that the state administration had issued notices to dozens of unregistered madrasas in Muzzafarnagar in the state.

According to official sources, there are approximately 24,000 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh, with 16,000 holding official recognition and 8,000 operating without the required authorisation.

Muzaffarnagar Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Shubham Shukla stated that as per the district minority department's information, there were over a hundred unregistered madrasas operating against established norms.

In Lucknow, a senior official claimed that around 4,000 madrasas in the state are under scrutiny for allegedly receiving foreign funds. To investigate the matter, the state government has established a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT).