UP Madarsa Education Act: What is Madarsa Education Act of UP? Which the Supreme Court said was ‘right’

What is UP Madrasa Education Act?

UP Madarsa Education Act, this law was made in 2004. Its purpose was to organize madrasa education. It defines Madrasa education as the education of Arabic, Urdu, Persian, Islamic studies, Tibb (traditional medicine), philosophy and other subjects. There are about 25 thousand madrassas in Uttar Pradesh.

Madrassas get financial government help

​Madrasa Education Board awards graduation and post graduation degrees. These are called Kamil and Fazil respectively. Out of approximately 25 thousand madrassas in Uttar Pradesh, 16,500 madrassas are recognized by the Uttar Pradesh Madrassa Education Board. Of these, 560 madrassas receive financial assistance from the government. Apart from this, 8,500 unrecognized madrassas are also running in the state.

Class 10th and 12th level examinations

The diploma given by UP Madrasa Board is called Kari. It also awards certificates and other academic honors. The board conducts examinations for courses like Munshi and Maulvi (Class 10) and Aalim (Class 12).

The Madrasa Education Board specifies the syllabus, reference books, textbooks and other teaching materials for courses like Tahataniya, Maulvi, Faukaniya, Munshi, Kamil, Aalim and Fazil.

What was the High Court’s decision on UP Madrasa Board?

The High Court had declared the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Act, 2004 as ‘unconstitutional’ and said that it is against the principle of secularism. The High Court said that the Madrassa Act violates the basic principles of secularism, which is an important element of the Constitution.

The petitioner and his/her counsel had also argued that the Act does not ensure provision of high quality compulsory education up to the age of 14 years or Class 8, as mandated in Article 21-A.

Supreme Court’s decision on Madrasa Board

Supreme Court’s decision.