Assam Govt to approach a secular mode of education; plans to turn madrasas and sanskrit tols into general institutions
December 15, 2020: The next step of Assam Government in making education more available and prosperous is to turn all the state run madrasas and sanskrit tols (schools) into educational institutions for general studies. It is an attempt of the government to make education more “secular” in the state.
Speaking at a press conference, Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “All High madrasas would now be secular after the word ‘Madrasa’ is removed. They would now be known as High School, not High Madrasa. There would be no distinction anymore. So far, they were providing 90 per cent general education and 10 per cent religious teaching. Now, the religious subject of 50 marks on Quran would be dropped”. He further added that from 2022, no High Madrasa exam would be conducted in Assam.
The decision was taken on Sunday by the cabinet and the bill is to be tabeled during the upcoming winter session of the assembly. The cabinet also decided to dissolve the State Madrasa Board and the administration is to be renamed as ‘Director of Secondary Education’.
All 198 High Madrasa School under Secondary Education Board Assam (SEBA) and 542 under Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) including four Arabic colleges, 138 senior madrasas and 230 pre-senior madrasas, which worked under the State Madrasa Board, will come under this bill and are to be converted.
