As children die in the state’s hospitals, Yogi Adityanath’s main concern are madrasas

The Uttar Pradesh government is focussing on sorting out all the irregularities related to madrasas whereas children continue to die in Gorakhpur’s BRD Hospital. Just a few days after a portal was launched for madrasas by UP Government, it has now announced geo tagging of madrasas in the state.

According to a report in the Times of India, August 30, 2017, the Yogi Adityanath government had mentioned it as an effort to eliminate fake staff and students of madrasas. The state government has also instructed madrasas to provide details of classroom teachers’ bank accounts and photographs of buildings. They have reportedly been asked to provide each employee’s Aadhaar card details on the portal too.

The portal will have all the information of the state’s 16,000 recognised madrasas online. Each madrasa will be given a unique code for identification which will be a unified district information system for education code (UDISE), so that each madrasa can be geo tagged.

Issued by Monika Garg, the principal secretary, Uttar Pradesh, the order directs the registrar of the UP Madrasa Shiksha Parishad that all madrasas be registered with the newly launched government web site by October 15 to retain their recognition and government aid.

It also instructs authorities to check if the same teachers and staff are employed at different madrasas. As a result, it says, the availability of quality teachers can be ensured and it will improve the quality of education.

It also instructs authorities to check the duplication of rolls and fake students so that the tendency to show fake students for usurping of scholarship funds can be curtailed.

The order says thatonly when the financial details of teachers and staff have been collected and their bank accounts have been verified, their salaries should be disbursed.

According to the order, the government portal will ensure transparency and responsibility in the madrasa education system and that the portal aims at connecting all the state’s madrasas in a unified eco system.

With all the building and map details of the madrasas uploaded on the website, no twisting of data will be possible and the district minority officers could then lock these details with their digital signature.

The Yogi government has suddenly become quite active when it comes to madrasas in the state. A few days before Independence Day, the state government had made videography of Independence Day celebrations mandatory in all madrasas.

Reacting strongly over the new circular, the Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid, Delhi, Mufti Mukarram Ahmed said, “This is very sad state of affairs and I strongly condemn this. The purpose of such circulars is to divert attention from the basic public issues, to appease the communal forces, to strengthen vote bank and prepare for 2019 general elections.” He said Muslims needed to talk to the Prime Minister on this issue.

He said, “The Union government carried out a survey of the madrasas and found that no madrasa was involved in any kind of anti-national activities. The government should let institutions of Christians, Sikhs, Dalits and Muslims run as they were running earlier and it should not interfere and should not try to impose a new kind of system”.

Professor Shamsul Islam raised a pertinent question: “Why madrasas and that too at that time when Supreme court has given a historic order on right to privacy? Though it should not be done with any institution but the big question is why the madrasas?”

He added, “The head of the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Council had said on videography of Independence Day celebrations in madrasas that primary schools were left out because they are ‘ours.’ So there is no need for any proof of ‘patriotism’ from them. So, if this is the mindset, then one should not be surprised over such circulars.”