Now, UP madarsas to observe holidays on Dusshera, Diwali
Islamic schools will have four discretionary holidays instead of 10
LUCKNOW: The new academic calendar released by the Uttar Pradesh Madarsa Board on January 1 marked Hindu festivals such as Dussehra and Diwali as holidays for the Islamic schools in the state.
As per the latest calendar, the madarsas will now have four discretionary holidays instead of 10.
The discretionary holiday quota is utilised by the Islamic schools to give holidays on Muslim festivals, which are not listed as gazetted holidays.
“We have added a few festivals like Dussehra, Diwali, Mahavir Jayanti, Buddh Purnima, Raksha Bandhan along with Christmas in the new holiday list,” said Rahul Gupta, registrar of the UP Madrasa Shiksha Parishad.
He, however, denied curtailing number of holidays on Muslim festivals. Earlier, madarsas in UP were closed only during Muslim festivals with the exception of Holi and Ambedkar Jayanti.
As per the new calendar, which has listed 89 holidays, the madarsas will be closed for 42 days during the month of Ramzan. The holidays will begin two days prior to Ramzan and will end 10 days after Eid.
As per the new calendar, the madarsa timings during summer (between April 1 and September 30) will be from 8am to 1pm with interval from 10.30am to 11am.
In winter (October 1 to March 31), the timings will be from 9am to 2pm with interval from 12 noon to 12.30 pm.
The weekly offs will be on Fridays as always.
Last year, the Uttar Pradesh madarsas were ordered to compulsorily observe the Independence Day and make videos of the celebrations.
The move was criticised by many, who alleged it tantamount to raising doubt about the patriotism of madarsa authorities and students.
The order said that madarsas will hoist the national flag, sing national anthem and make speeches on the importance of the freedom struggle and the sacrifices made by freedom fighters.
The madarsa students were also asked to sing patriotic songs and take part in sports events on that day.
Barely a few months after the I-Day controversy, the UP madarsa board announced to introduce books by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in the Islamic seminaries to standardise and improve the curriculum in sync with job requirements.
The move had come close on the heels of the state government directing all madarsas in the state to register with the board.