New India doesn't need Madrassas: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
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Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that his government closed 600 madrassas and is mulling over shutting down all of them in the state.
Himanta Biswa Sarma was addressing rally in Karnataka's Belagavi when he announced plans to crackdown on Islamic religious schools.
When a journalist asked him to expand on his move against madrassas, he said new India needs schools, colleges and universities not madrassas.
"We don't need madrassas. We need engineers and doctors," Sarma reportedly said.
Sarma previously expressed interest in reducing the number of madrassas or scrutinise the education being offered by these institutions.
Meanwhile, Assam has currently 3,000 registered and unregistered madrassas.
In 2020, he introduced a law seeking to convert all state-run madrassas into "regular schools".
Biswa Sarma said science and maths will be taught in the madrasas alongside maintaining the database of teachers.