Assam Cabinet approves proposal to shut govt-run madrasas, Sanskrit schools
On 13th December, The Assam Cabinet approved a proposal to close down all government-run madrasas and Sanskrit tols (schools). “Repeal of provisions of madrasa and Sanskrit tolls bill will be introduced in the coming session in Assam. Existing laws related to madrasas and Sanskrit tols will be repealed.
It is said that the Assam Government intends to shut down around 600 madrasas in Assam. In these madrasas Assam Government will impart modern education. The Madrassa Education Board would be dissolved and all state-run madrassas would be converted into high schools. The Assam government spends Rs 3-4 crore annually on madrassas and about Rs 1 crore on Sanskrit tols.
There are 614 recognised madrassas in Assam, according to State Madrassa Education Board (SMEB). As many as 400 out of these are high madrassas,112 are junior high madrassas and the remaining 102 are senior madrassas.
Assam's education minister has earlier clarified that teaching Arabic and religious texts is not the government's job. In a secular country, religious teachings cannot be funded by the government. "If religious texts are allowed to be taught in state-run madrassas, the Gita, or for that matter the Bible, should also be taught with government funding.
The Sanskrit tols (institutes) will be handed over to the Kumar Bhaskarvarma Sanskrit University and these will be converted into centres of learning and research where Indian culture, civilisation and nationalism will be studied.
Two years ago, the government disbanded the madrassa education and Sanskrit boards to bring all madrassas under the Secondary Board of Education, Assam, and the Sanskrit tols under the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University in Nalbari. This was apparently done to bring modern education and teaching methods to these traditional institutions.
Sanskrit education had been introduced in the state under the Assam Sanskrit Education Act in 1957. The madrassa education system started in 1780.
