Bill eliminates government funding for madrassas that will become general schools by April 1 (file)
Guwahati:
A bill that abolished state madrassas was passed in the Assam Legislative Assembly on Wednesday amid outcry from opposition lawmakers, who withdrew after their demand to send the legislation to the Select Committee for a “discussion. adequate “was rejected.
The bill, which will now be sent to the governor for approval, eliminates government funding for madrassas and they will become general schools by April 1, 2021.
Under the bill, the Madrassa, Assam State Board of Education will also be dissolved, but it will have no influence on the status of allowances and conditions of service of teaching and non-teaching staff.
President Hitendra Nath Goswami introduced the bill for voice vote, which was approved with the backing of BJP’s alliance partners: Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland Popular Front (BPF).
State Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government will soon introduce another bill to regulate private madrassas as well.
“We are in the process of drafting a bill whereby Qawmi (private) madrassas will have to register with the state government and will be given registration if and only if they teach science, math, etc. along with religious education, ”he said.
However, Wednesday’s bill did not cover, did not even mention Sanskrit tols (centers of Vedic education), which Sarma had previously said would also be closed because the government cannot fund religious education because it is a “secular entity.” .
“The Assam government says that public money cannot be spent on religious education, but various universities impart Vedic education, Islamic teachings. So it looks like an electoral agenda. What Yogi (Adityanath) did not do in UP, BJP has done in Assam. Now we will help people who want to go against this in court, ”said AIUDF lawmaker Rafikul Islam.
Now we will help people who want to go against this in court, he added.
“They are free to go to court. We are ready to face them,” he said, sharpening his attack on Congress and the AIUDF.
He said the government’s decision was based on responses to a survey of students at the madrassa who indicated they wanted “general education.”
“We are with the progressive Islamic society. Congress wanted to reform the Qawmi madrassas through the Right to Education Act, but could not due to the vote bank policy, ”said Sarma.
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