Send Hindu children studying in madrasas to other schools: NCPCR chief to MP govt

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo on Friday asked the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh to shift Hindu children studying in madrasas to 'ordinary' schools, stating that the Islamic institutions do not come under the purview of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

As many as 9,417 Hindu children study in 1,755 registered madrasas in Madhya Pradesh, and these institutions lack infrastructure as mandated under the RTE Act, he said. He also said Muslim children studying in unregistered madrasas too should be shifted to ordinary schools.

"I request the MP government to pull out Hindu children studying in madrasas," Kanoongo told reporters.

The NCPCR chief was in state capital Bhopal to hold meetings with various state departments with regard to the protection of child rights.

"The Act under which the MP Madarsa Board came into being defines madrasas and clearly states that Islamic religious education should be imparted in them. Section 1 of the Right to Education Act excludes madrasas from the purview of the Right to Education Act," Kanoongo said.

According to information available with the NCPCR, teachers at these madrasas do not have a B.Ed. degree and have not taken the Teacher Eligibility Test, he claimed, adding that their infrastructure too is not in accordance with the RTE Act.

"The safety and security arrangements in madrasas are not up to the mark," he said, taking a strong exception to Hindu children being sent to madrasas. "I request the MP government to immediately rectify it," Kanoongo said.

The child rights body chief further said under the RTE Act, it is the government's job to set up schools, and "funding the Madrasa Board is like depriving poor children of their Right to Education. Muslim children who are studying in unregistered madrasas should also be immediately sent to (ordinary) schools," he added.