CM Adityanath seeks overhaul of UP madrasa system, focus on modern education

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has called for sweeping changes in the state's madrasa education system, emphasizing the need to meet basic infrastructure standards before any institution can be granted official recognition.

At a high-level review meeting on Friday, he proposed the formation of a dedicated committee—headed by the director of minority welfare—to suggest reforms aimed at improving administration, ensuring job security for teachers, and providing a more secure future for students.

Yogi Adityanath also stressed the importance of integrating modern education into the madrasa system.

“Students studying in madrasas should have access to the full spectrum of modern education,” he said.

Highlighting the need for an updated curriculum, he added, “There’s a need to bring changes in the madrasa curriculum in line with the New Education Policy 2020. It is also necessary to update the eligibility criteria for teachers and non-teaching staff in accordance with the curriculum. The teacher selection process must be made fair and transparent. The current system of appointing teachers in madrasas also needs to be reviewed.”

The proposed reform committee will include officials from the departments of basic and secondary education, finance, law, and minority welfare.

The chief minister also addressed challenges arising from the Supreme Court’s ruling that declared the Madrasa Board’s Kamil and Fazil degrees unconstitutional.

He said it is vital to bring madrasa recognition standards in line with those used by mainstream schools under the education department.

The meeting featured a detailed presentation from the minority welfare and waqf department, outlining the current state of madrasas, including key hurdles and future plans.

According to the data shared, Uttar Pradesh currently has 13,329 recognized madrasas serving over 1.2 million students.

Of these, 9,979 are primary and upper primary institutions, while 3,350 offer secondary and senior secondary education.

Of all madrasas, 561 receive government funding. These institutions support 2,31,806 students and employ 9,889 teachers and 8,367 non-teaching staff, who have been receiving salaries according to the Seventh Pay Commission since 2016.

Officials highlighted the introduction of the Madrasa Portal in August 2017, which has brought several administrative functions online, including exams, certification, and integration with the U-DISE system for improved transparency.

So far, 19,123 madrasas have registered on the portal, with 13,329 successfully verified.

However, the number of students appearing in board exams has sharply declined—from 4.2 lakh in 2016 to just over 88,000 in 2025—a trend the chief minister flagged as deeply concerning.

To raise educational standards, the SCERT curriculum has now been fully implemented starting in the 2025–26 academic year.

Board exams are currently conducted only at the Maulvi/Munshi (secondary) and Alim (senior secondary) levels.

The curriculum now combines traditional subjects like theology, Arabic, and Persian with modern subjects including mathematics, science, social science, Hindi, and English, with efforts ongoing to further align it with the State Secondary Education Council.