(a) whether it is a fact that only religious books are being taught in ''Madarasa'' schools in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to make it mandatory to teach all the subjects in all the ''Madarsa'' schools like Government schools; and
(d) if so, the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)
(a) to (d): Only the Madarsas registered under Central or State Government acts or Madarsa Board or with Waqf Boards or NIOS are eligible to apply for assistance under the Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarsas (SPQEM) run by Ministry of Human Resource Development. This scheme aims to encourage traditional institutions like Madarsas and Maktabs to introduce modern education by providing financial assistance to introduce Science, Mathematics, Social studies, Hindi and English in their curriculum through support for a maximum of three teachers and books, teaching learning materials and computer labs. The scheme aims at providing madarsa students education comparable with national standards, for which affiliation with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is integral to the scheme. The scheme is a voluntary one as madarsas have the choice to opt for the scheme. Other Madarsas do not come under the purview of this Ministry.
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