Uttarakhand’s New Madrasa Model

Feb. 27, 2025, 12:32 p.m.

Uttarakhand’s Waqf Board has established its first modern madrasa, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Modern Madrasa, offering the NCERT curriculum alongside Sanskrit as an optional subject and Arabic. Built at a cost of Rs.50 lakh, the madrasa, located in Dehradun’s Muslim Colony, will begin classes in March. Students will study general subjects under the NCERT syllabus in the mornings and attend religious education in the evenings, suited to their preferences, including Quranic studies or texts related to Lord Ram.

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The Waqf Board aims to modernise 8-10 madrasas by year-end, consolidating smaller ones into central facilities for improved management and resource utilisation.

Free education, uniforms, and books will be provided. The initiative aims at appointing ex-army personnel as physical education instructors and recruiting Sanskrit teachers, with a focus on all round education and patriotism. Presently, 419 madrasas are registered in Uttarakhand, with 117 under the Waqf Board. Chairman Shadab Shams stressed the need for fewer but high-quality madrasas, bringing out the fact that many are redundant.

Opposition from some in the Muslim community suggests rebranding these institutions as schools instead of madrasas. Talks with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami are ongoing to bring all madrasas under the Waqf Board for standardised management. Shams also highlighted the goal of creating a unified India where every child receives equal educational opportunities, marking this as a significant step towards inclusivity and modernisation.