Minority Education Act comes into effect in Uttarakhand; replaces Madrasa Board

Dehradun: The ‘Uttarakhand Minority Education Act’ has come into effect in Uttarakhand from Wednesday (July 1), Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced.

With this, the Madrasa Education Board in Uttarakhand has been completely dissolved as of July 1.

In a post on X, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami wrote, “Today, the ‘Uttarakhand Minorities Education Act’ has come into effect. Along with this, the Madrasa Education Board Act and the Recognition Rules for Non-Governmental Arabic-Persian Madrasas have been repealed.”

Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CM Dhami said that the BJP government is committed to establishing an education system in the state that is “modern, transparent, high-quality, accountable, and rooted in the values of nation-building”.

“The new system will ensure an equitable and transparent recognition process for all minority educational institutions,” he said.

“Our resolve is clear: the youth of the state, empowered by modern education, science, technology, skills, and Indian life values, will play a meaningful role in building a Viksit Uttarakhand and a Viksit Bharat. With this goal in mind, we are moving forward relentlessly,” the Chief Minister added.

A new State Minority Education Authority has come into existence in the state as of Wednesday. Significant educational reforms have been introduced in minority educational institutions across Uttarakhand; notably, students studying there will now receive textbooks based on the NCERT curriculum.

The Dhami government has already constituted the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority. Professor Surjeet Singh Gandhi has been appointed as the Chairman of the Authority; additionally, eminent scholars and professors from various minority communities have been included as members.

The members include Professor Rakesh Kumar Jain, Dr Syed Ali Hamid, Professor Pema Tenzing, Professor Gurmeet Singh, Dr Elba Mandrele, Professor Robin Aman, Chandrashekhar Bhatt, and Rajendra Singh Bisht.

The Director General of School Education and the Director of SCERT have been appointed as ex-officio members, while the Director of Minority Welfare will serve as the ex-officio Member Secretary.

IANS