Amid the ongoing controversy over shifting the students of unrecognised madrasas imparting Islamic theology to the schools run by the state government, the Uttar Pradesh government is contemplating to set up two universities to affiliate the madrasas with them

UP Minorities Welfare Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said here on Monday that the government planned to reform the process of granting recognition to madrasas in the state by proposing the establishment of two new universities. These universities would affiliate all madrasas, aiming to streamline their recognition process, he added.

The affiliation of the madrasas with these universities would be done on the lines of affiliation of colleges with the Lucknow University and other universities in the state.

Rajbhar said, “Our goal is to open two universities. We want to integrate the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education with these universities so that all madrasas are officially recognised, eliminating any future disputes.”

He compared the proposal to the current affiliation of many colleges with institutions like Lucknow University, Purvanchal University and Shakuntala University, suggesting that if madrasas are similarly affiliated with universities, the situation will be different.

Currently, madrasas in UP are recognised by the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education.

The announcement follows a letter from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) dated June 7. Subsequently, on June 26, the then UP chief secretary Durga Shanker Mishra issued directives to all district magistrates regarding the education of children in madrasas.

The NCPCR had instructed that all non-Muslim students in government-funded madrasas be transferred to Basic Education Council schools to ensure they receive formal education. It also recommended that children in madrasas not recognised by the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education be admitted to these schools.

The letter also asked the state government to shift all students studying in unrecognised madrasas to state-run schools.

The UP chief secretary had written letters to all the district magistrates to implement the directives of the NCPCR. The letter also asked for an inquiry into admissions of non-Muslim children in madrasas.

UP has approximately 25,000 madrasas, of which around 16,500 are recognised by the government, including 560 government-aided institutions. However, approximately 8,500 madrasas remain unrecognised by the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education.

Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind’s legal advisor Maulana Kaab Rashidi emphasised that the government should consult all stakeholders, including organisations like Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, Nadwatul Ulama and Darul Uloom Deoband, before implementing any changes in the system.

He stressed that the constitutional rights of minorities to establish and run their educational institutions must be respected in any new system proposed by the state government.

Earlier on July 31, a delegation of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had met UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and demanded the withdrawal of a government order that directed the shifting of all students in unrecognised madrasas to state-run schools. The AIMPLB objected to the notice issued by the state government to 8,449 madrasas in UP on the basis of which the district administration was ordering these madrasas to admit children studying there to schools for basic education.

The AIMPLB also expressed strong objection to the letter issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to the chief secretary of the state on June 7.