The West Bengal government has initiated action against unaided madrasas, serving closure notices to 252 institutions and show-cause notices to about 100 others for alleged violations of regulations.
According to reports by The Times of India and The Indian Express, the 252 madrasas were served closure notices due to non-compliance with rules regarding classroom space, adequate students or teachers, and deviation from the standard state school syllabus. If the responses to the show-cause notices issued to the remaining 100 madrasas are deemed unsatisfactory, further action will be taken. The survey conducted in July aimed to verify if these institutions were authorized and adhering to regulations.
Among the affected districts, Malda has 45 madrasas on the closure list, followed by Uttar Dinajpur with 37, South 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, and Nadia with 25 each. Kshudiram Tudu, the Minister for Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education, stated that the state government's intention is to encourage madrasa students to pursue mainstream education.
Samik Bhattacharya, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bengal chief, supported the survey, expressing that it should have been conducted long ago. State Panchayati Raj Minister Dilip Ghosh claimed that terrorists have been linked to some madrasas and suggested that only those compliant with regulations will continue to operate.
Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh from the Mamata Banerjee faction voiced concern about generalizing the education system, stating that it is inappropriate to attack the education system and create a negative narrative.
Source:
Scroll.in
