Kolkata: In line with its ‘One State, One Education’ policy, the West Bengal government has issued closure notices to 252 unaided and unrecognised madrasahs in the state. Another 100 such institutions may face closure as the government has served show-cause notices to them to explain irregularities in their functioning.
“A survey was conducted through district administration across 22 districts and in Kolkata. Details of teachers, students, infrastructure and funds available was inspected by a special team on the basis of which 252 madrasahs have been closed in the first phase,” Kshudiram Tudu, minister for minority affairs and madrasah education said, as reported by The Hindu.
Of the madrasahs that have been served closure notices, the maximum number of 44 are in Malda, followed by 37 in Uttar Dinajpur, 32 in South 24 Parganas, and 25 each in Nadia and Murshidabad.
Such unrecognised and unaided madrasahs are also called Khariji Madrasahs; they are independent Islamic educational institutions that operate without government funding, formal recognition, or official regulatory control.
There are over 2,000 such unrecognised madrasahs in West Bengal. Soon after coming to power, the Suvendu Adhikari government had ordered a survey of these Khariji madrasahs, after reports that some of them could be spreading radical thoughts among children.
Earlier this month, Adhikari had said that there will be a ‘One State, One Education’ policy in West Bengal. The Aliah University, which was under the madrasah education ministry, has been brought under the higher education ministry, he said.
Several BJP leaders, including the party’s state president Samik Bhattacharya, has welcomed the government move.
Bhattacharya said that former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had pointed out that extremist elements were promoted through madrasahs, but had to retract later under pressure from the then ruling Left Front.
There can’t be two forms of education in a state, he said. “India is a secular country. In this country, there is no discrimination among people based on religion. Therefore, it is extremely essential to ensure equal opportunities, equal rights, and a uniform standard of the education system for every child in the country,” the BJP leader posted on social media.
Trinamool Congress MLA and Mamata Banerjee loyalist Kunal Ghosh, however, said that the BJP leaders’ claims about extremism in madrasahs and their targeting is incorrect. The state also has the tradition of imparting education through ‘Sanskrit Tols’, he added.