Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has expressed his intent to close all madrassas because the “government prefers educational institutions over Islamic religious centres.”
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — As part of its ‘broader initiative to transform government-run madrassas into mainstream educational institutions’, the Assam government on Wednesday renamed 1,281 madrassas across 31 districts in the state, converting them into general schools.
The information was shared by Education Minister Ranoj Pegu through his social media handle. “Consequent to the conversion of all government and provincialised madrassas into general schools under the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA), the Department of School Education, Assam has changed the names of 1,281 ME madrassas into Middle English (ME) schools by a notification today,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) platform.
The order issued by Pegu clarified, “As per approval of the state government, the nomenclature of the 1,281 Upper Primary Schools ME Madrassa under Directorate of Elementary Education, Assam, shall be known as ME School with immediate effect.”
Following a January 2021 legislative move, the state government allowed government-run madrassas to transition into general schools. The impact of this decision extended to 731 madrassas and Arabic colleges associated with the State Madrassa Education Board, Assam Higher Secondary Education Council, and Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA).
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, during a rally in Karnataka in March, declared, “We have closed 600 madrassas, and we intend to close all madrassas because we prefer educational institutions over Islamic religious centres.”
