Uttarakhand madrassas face deadline for education board affiliation
Madrassas must affiliate with Uttarakhand Education Board by July 1, 2026, as new bill extends minority status to Sikh, Jain, Christian, Buddhist, Parsi institutions
A day after Pushkar Singh Dhami’s Cabinet decided to introduce the Uttarakhand Minority Educational Institutions Bill, 2025, in the Assembly session starting August 19, his government issued a deadline to all madrassas in the state to affiliate to the Uttarakhand Education Board or face closure.
The ultimatum came on Monday (August 18), along with the order that madrassas can seek to be recognised as minority educational institutions only after they apply to the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority. The order applies to all madrassas, irrespective of whether they are registered or unregistered with the Madrassa Board.
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Extension of minority status benefits
The Minority Education Bill, 2025, extends minority status benefits to institutions run by Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Christians, and Parsis in the state as well. At present, the minority educational institution status is granted only to the Muslim community.
Once implemented, the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board Act, 2016, and the Uttarakhand Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules, 2019, will be repealed, effective July 1, 2026. The is also the deadline set for madrassas to obtain affiliation with the Uttarakhand Education Board.
Once it is implemented, the study of the Gurumukhi and Pali languages will also be possible in recognised minority educational institutions.
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New authority to grant recognition
The bill also provides for the formation of an authority, making it mandatory for educational institutions established by all minority communities to obtain recognition from it. This authority will work to facilitate and promote educational excellence in these institutions.
The authority will grant recognition to the minority educational institution only when certain conditions are fulfilled by the applicant. If any condition is violated or the funds received from fees, donations, grants, or any other funding source are found to be misused, the recognition of that institution can also be terminated.
The authority will ensure that education is imparted in these institutions according to the standards set by the Uttarakhand Board of School Education, and the evaluation of the students is fair and transparent.
(With agency inputs)