"New Uttarakhand Minority Education Bill halts the pace of modernisation in madrasa education": Harish Rawat

Dehradun, (Uttarakhand) [India], October 8 (ANI): Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat on Wednesday said that the new Uttarakhand Minority Education Bill 2025 will halt the pace of modernisation in madrasa education.
While speaking with ANI, Harish Rawat said, "During the government of Shri Narayan Datt Tiwari, some steps were taken to bring madrasas into the mainstream of inclusive education, which all subsequent governments have continued to work on further."
"The impact and side effects of this new step will be known in the future. However, I am concerned that this may halt the pace of modernisation in madrasa education," he added.
"As a result of inclusive education in madrasas, people from different castes and religions were now receiving education, and the burden on the state was also being reduced. The more you isolate a community, the more fanaticism will increase, tensions will rise, and social hatred will increase," he added.

Earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on tuesday thanked Governor Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh (Retd.) for approving the Minority Education Bill-2025. This bill aims to bring revolutionary changes in the state's education system by making it more uniform, inclusive, and modern.
In a post on X, Dhami said, "Heartfelt thanks to the Honorable Governor @LtGenGurmit ji (Retd.) for granting approval to the Minority Education Bill-2025!"Notably, Madrasas will now be required to register with the Uttarakhand Board and obtain recognition from the Uttarakhand Minority Education Authority.
Minority educational institutions will need to affiliate with the Uttarakhand School Education Board, ensuring standardised education. "With the approval of the Honorable Governor, the path for this bill to become law has now been paved," the CM said.
Under this law, "An authority will be established for the education system of minority communities, which will handle the task of granting recognition to minority educational institutions. Additionally, after the implementation of this bill, minority educational institutions such as madrasas will be required to obtain recognition from the Uttarakhand Education Board," added CM Dhami.
The curriculum will encompass subjects such as science, mathematics, and social sciences, alongside modern technical education and vocational training. Starting from the academic session in July 2026, minority schools will follow the national curriculum and the New Education Policy."
Undoubtedly, this law will prove helpful in making the education system in the state more transparent, accountable, and qualitative," said Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami described this decision as a historic step towards creating a uniform and modern education system in the state. He announced that from the academic session of July 2026, all minority schools will adopt the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and the New Education Policy (NEP 2020).
With this move, Uttarakhand will become the first state in the country to dissolve its Madrasa Board and bring minority educational institutions into the mainstream education framework. (ANI)