The state under Chief Minister Dhami has become the first in the country to dissolve the Madrasa Board; conditions have been created for the harassment of madrasa students
HARIDWAR — The Uttarakhand government’s decision to dissolve the state Madrasa Board has drawn strong condemnation from Muslim religious leaders, who questioned both its legality and necessity.
Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, a revered Islamic scholar, social reformer, and an eminent proponent of interfaith dialogue, called the decision “unlawful.” He maintained that reforms to madrasa education were possible without dissolving the board altogether.
Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, questioned why abolition was necessary. He suggested the existing board could have been used to regulate and implement any changes the government considered necessary.
However, Swami Chidanand Muni of Parmarth Ashram welcomed the reform. He noted that students would benefit from learning subjects like science, mathematics, and geography alongside spiritual teachings, helping them connect with wider national and global perspectives.
Uttarakhand has now become the first state in the country to dissolve its Madrasa Board entirely. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami formally confirmed the abolition, requiring all madrasas to adopt the Uttarakhand Education Board curriculum from July 2026 or face closure.
Addressing a public event here on Sunday, Chief Minister Dhami described the decision as “historic,” stating that all madrasas must align with the state education board to bring students into the mainstream.
The legal foundation for this move was laid in October 2025, when Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh (Retd) gave his assent to the Uttarakhand Minority Education Bill, 2025. With that approval, the Madrasa Education Board Act, 2016, and the Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules, 2019, are set to expire on July 1, 2026.
Uttarakhand will, as a result, become the first state in the country to bring minority educational institutions into the mainstream education framework, according to an official press release from the state government.
In place of the Madrasa Board, the state government has constituted the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority, which will now oversee all matters related to minority educational institutions, including accreditation, curriculum design, and academic and administrative functions. All minority institutions will be brought under its umbrella, with their recognition processed through the Uttarakhand Board of School Education.
Retired Kumaun University professor Surjeet Singh Gandhi has been appointed as the first chairperson of the authority. Out of the eight appointed members, two belong to the Muslim community — retired professor Syed Ali Hamid of Kumaun University and Prof Robina Aman, head of the chemistry department at Soban Singh Jeena University.
From the academic session of July 2026, all minority schools will be required to adopt the National Curriculum Framework and the New Education Policy 2020. Chief Minister Dhami stated that the government’s goal is to ensure that every child in the state, regardless of their class or community, progresses with equal education and equal opportunities.
Even before the dissolution takes legal effect in July this year, the announcement has created conditions for harassment of madrasa students in the state.
In one documented incident in Dehradun, Bajrang Dal workers confronted a group of madrasa students and their guardians in the middle of a road.
“Hamara piyoge, hamara khaoge. Toh bhi kaafir hum ko bologe? (You will eat ours, drink ours and still call us Kaafir),” a Bajrang Dal leader said, targeting the students for calling him a “non-believer.”
The leader claimed the students were not permitted to study in a madrasa because of its dissolution, even though the decision does not come into legal effect until July.
