Human resource development minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday virtually scrapped the proposal to create a madarsa board for regulation of the country’s madarsas.
He said the government did not want to create a madarsa board as there was little support for the formation of such a regulatory board among Muslims.
The proposal was first put forth in UPA-1 under then HRD minister Arjun Singh and aimed to increase the involvement of the minority community in higher education. “Unless the community wants it, why should we intervene? Unless the community comes forward, we will not discuss it,” the minister said. The rejection of the move to create a madarsa board comes after the matter was discussed with minority community MPs, most of whom opposed the government’s move.
Mr Sibal said the formation of such a board had been suggested by the Sachar Committee, which felt that madrasas should be supervised by a body that was more academic than theological.
The minister added the government would run special education programmes for the minorities. “Wherever there is a minority community concentration, we’ll have programmes for setting up institutions of higher education.”