The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has recommended the dissolution of the Uttarakhand Madrasa Board, citing a “conflict between children’s rights to education and the rights of minority communities”. The commission said that children studying in madrasas are being excluded from the formal education system, despite protections under the Constitution.
“Children attending only religious institutions are being denied their fundamental right to education under the Right to Education (RTE) Act of 2009,” the commission stated. Their findings came after inspecting madrasas in Uttarakhand, where they found that while Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution protect minority rights, the children enrolled in madrasas are missing out on formal education.
NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo noted several issues during his visit to Dehradun madrasas earlier this year. He said, “We have recommended dissolving madrasa boards across all states and transferring children to formal schools to ensure they receive proper education.”
However, Mufti Shamoon Qasmi, Chairperson of the Uttarakhand Madrasa Board, assured that the madrasas in the state follow the NCERT curriculum. “If any madrasa is found focusing solely on religious education rather than the NCERT syllabus, it will be shut down,” Qasmi said.
India has approximately 24,010 madrasas, with 416 located in Uttarakhand. These institutions provide education, particularly to children from economically weaker sections of society, and play an important role in offering accessible learning opportunities.
