NCPCR Chief Questions Non-Muslim Students Attending Madrasas
Bhopal: Priyank Kanungo, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), has raised concerns about non-Muslim students attending madrasas in Madhya Pradesh. Following similar actions in Uttar Pradesh, he urged the state’s Bharatiya Janata Party government to ensure that Hindu children attend regular schools instead of madrasas.
Kanungo, speaking to the media, asserted that the Right to Education (RTE) Act does not apply to madrasas, which primarily teach Islamic subjects. He revealed that the NCPCR had been informed about 9,714 Hindu students enrolled in the 1,755 registered madrasas in Madhya Pradesh. He further noted that many of these madrasas lack basic amenities, standard infrastructure, and proper security arrangements.
Kanungo also highlighted that many madrasa teachers do not hold required degrees, such as B.Ed., and expressed strong objections to Hindu students being educated in these institutions. “I request the Madhya Pradesh government to take immediate measures on this matter,” he stated.
Contradicting Kanungo’s claims, Bhopal-based senior journalist Parvez Bari argued that registered madrasas in Madhya Pradesh teach modern subjects alongside religious education. He told
Islamic Voice that Kanungo’s perspective on the madrasa system is biased, pointing to his well-known connection with the RSS.
Bari emphasized that the curriculum in registered madrasas mirrors that of government schools, with the addition of religious instruction. He also clarified that the Madhya Pradesh Madrasa Board is a government-constituted body, established through legislation passed by the state assembly.
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