Madrasas in Uttarakhand enthusiastic about modern education: Waqf board chief

Dehradun: Madrasas in Uttarakhand are enthusiastic about the state Waqf board's programme to modernise their education system by combining scientific learning and Islamic studies, its chairman Shadab Shams said on Monday.

"About 40-50 madrasas have approached us seeking modernisation of their education system on the lines of the four madrasas taken up in the first phase of our programme in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts," Shams told PTI.

The response is highly positive from parents and guardians who send their children to madrasas for studies, but do not want them to miss out on modern education like computer education or the study of science subjects, the Uttarakhand Waqf Board chairman said.

"The enthusiastic response of parents and guardians is no less than a revolution. We were expecting a stiff resistance from the Muslim families, especially under the pressure of clerics to any attempt to modernise madrasa education in the state, but the situation is the opposite," Shams said.

It is good for the future of their children who need to come out of the confines of the traditional madrasa education to meet the challenges of the contemporary world, he added. "We are introducing NCERT books of science and humanities in madrasas, computer education and smart classes as part of the exercise. We are also introducing the education of Sanskrit language in our madrasas alongside Arabic and theological studies," Shams said.

The infrastructure needed for this exercise is being created in the madrasas selected in the first phase, he said, adding it was in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that he wanted to see madrasa-going children with the Quran in one hand and a laptop in the other.

After the first phase of this exercise is completed, more districts will be taken up in the second phase of the modernisation programme, he further said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat have assured the Waqf board of full support in the exercise.

Soon after taking over as the chairman of the Uttarakhand Waqf Board in 2022, Shams had pitched for providing modern education at madrasas and talked about the board's plans to impart the same education to madrasa students as those studying in other schools.

The Uttarakhand Waqf Board runs 103 madrassas in the state.