Scheme for quality madrasa education voluntary: HRD

NEWDELHI: The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry clarified on Monday that the scheme for providing quality education in madarsas (SPQEM) is voluntary and applicable only to those who want to provide modern education.

Under the scheme, madrasas can be affiliated to any recognised board, including state board, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), madrasa board, National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

“Affiliation to any board will help the students passing out of these madarsas to progress to higher levels of education when they complete their schooling. Provision of ₹5 lakh has been kept for strengthening and activities of madrasa boards also,” said Maneesh Garg, joint secretary at the HRD ministry.

There is also a provision of UDISE and GIS coordinates of madarsas to ensure accountability in respect of funds released by the government, which is applicable to other institutions too, Garg said. “Scheme will focus on improvement of quality of education in the madarsas”.

As reported by HT on April 6, under the ministry’s integrated school scheme, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, all government and government-aided schools, including madrasas, across the country are eligible to get free textbooks from the Centre at an average cost of ₹250 per child at the primary level and ₹400 per child at upper primary level.

“There is support for provisions for textbooks to all children in Government/local Body and Government Aided schools, including Madarsas desirous of introducing the State curriculum, at primary level and at upper primary level. The textbooks should keep the principle of equity and inclusion at the forefront, proactively break extant stereotypes and reflect sensitivity to gender, caste and class parity, peace, health and needs of differently abled children,” reads the policy document of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.