NCPCR calls for discontinuation of madrasa boards, funding; explains why
What's the story
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked all states and Union Territories to stop funding Madrasa Boards and shut them down. In a letter to chief secretaries of states and UTs, Chairman Priyank Kanoongo also recommended that non-Muslim children studying in madrasas be shifted to mainstream schools in line with the 2009 Right to Education (RTE) Act. The recommendations stem from a detailed report prepared after studying the educational conditions of children from the Muslim community.
Report findings
NCPCR's report on educational conditions in madrasas
Kanoongo said the report aims to create a road map for ensuring that all children in India grow up in a safe and productive environment, contributing to national development. "By doing so, they will be empowered to contribute meaningfully to the nation-building process in a more holistic and impactful way," he wrote in the letter.
Long-term research
NCPCR's 9-year study on madrasa education
Kanoongo revealed the commission has been studying this issue for the last nine years, researching how kids from the Muslim community are deprived of school education because of madrasas. "We have sent a report on this matter to the Chief Secretaries via letter and requested them to close the Madrasa Boards in their respective states," he said. He further added these Madrasa Boards have failed to serve their intended purpose.
Madrasa statistics
Over 1.25 crore children in madrasas: NCPCR
Talking to IANS, Kanoongo also pointed out that more than 1.25 crore children are enrolled in madrasas that have no link to the Madrasa Boards. He slammed the boards for simply taking government money while housing 1.9 to two million children, including non-Muslim Hindu children, in the name of education. The NCPCR was constituted under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act of 2005 and protects children's rights across India.