NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Saturday issued a directive to the chief secretaries and administrators of all states and union territories. This directive concerns a report titled “Guardians of Faith or Oppressors of Rights: Constitutional Rights of Children vs madrasas.”
The NCPCR’s report contains 11 chapters and discusses the historical role of madrasas along with their impact on children’s educational rights.
The key recommendation from the NCPCR is to stop state funding for madrasas across all states and union territories and to close down Madrasa Boards.
The NCPCR chief, Priyank Kanoongo, emphasised the importance of inclusive education under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, stating, “The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, is grounded in the belief that achieving values such as equality, social justice, and democracy is only possible through the provision of inclusive education for all. However, a conflicting picture between fundamental right of children and right of minority communities has been created.”
The report maintains that it is the state’s duty to ensure all children receive formal education as defined under the RTE Act. The NCPCR highlighted that merely having a Board or a UDISE Code does not mean madrasas comply with the RTE Act requirements.
Recommendations from the NCPCR include stopping state funding for madrasas and Madrasa Boards and closing down these Boards, subject to the Supreme Court’s ruling on SLP (Civil) No. 008541 of 2024 regarding Uttar Pradesh.
The commission also recommended that non-Muslim children be removed from madrasas and placed in formal schools as per the RTE Act. It also suggested that Muslim children currently in madrasas should be enrolled in formal schools to ensure they receive the prescribed education and curriculum.
Meanwhile on Friday, the Maharashtra Cabinet has approved significant salary increases for D.Ed. and B.Ed. teachers in madrasas. D.Ed. teachers’ salaries will rise from Rs 6,000 to Rs 16,000 per month, while those teaching secondary subjects in B.A., B.Ed., and B.Sc. programs will earn Rs 18,000, up from Rs 8,000.
The Cabinet also increased the share capital of the Maulana Azad Minority Economic Development Corporation from Rs 700 crores to Rs 1,000 crores.