Add state board course to religious discourse: NCPCR

NATIONAL COMMISSION for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the apex child rights agency, has held that children going to madrasas and Vedic pathshalas should be made to follow state-approved curriculum in addition to religious studies. The commission also recommended that once such a practice is put in place, students going to such institutions should be counted as school-going children, which will drastically bring down the existing number of out-of-school children.

The recommendation is part ofthereportsubmittedbyncpcr to the Central Advisory Board of Education(cabe)sub-committee of the HRD Ministry. The NCPCR was asked to prepare a report on identifying, tracking and re-engaging out-of-school children.

The report states, “Mapping of children going to madrasas and Vedic pathshalas and any other faith-based non-formal institutions and unrecognised schools should be done. Madrasas and Vedic pathshala should be affiliated to their respective Board and should follow the state-approved curriculum in addition to religious studies.”

As per 2011 Census data, 8.4 crore children do not go to school. “This figure does not take into account children receiving non-formal education at madrasas and other religious institutions. If they are also counted, the number of out-ofschool children will be easily 2.5 crore fewer,” NCPCR member Priyank Kanoongo said.

Kanoongo said MP and Chhattisgarh have the madrasa board, which ensure that all madrasas affiliated with them teach basic subjects along with religious education. “As long as the madrasa board is able to ensure that students receive education in basic subjects such as maths, science and social sciences, such students should not be considered as out-of-school,” Kanoongo said.