Madhya Pradesh officials issued an order on Friday stating that madrasas and schools associated with the Madrasa board and receiving state funding cannot compel children to participate in religious education.
According to the order, students must have parental consent to learn religion in these institutions. Additionally, the state government is conducting a survey to verify whether any non-Muslim children are enrolled in schools affiliated with the Madrasa board.
This survey is followed by claims from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) which raised concerns over non-Muslim children studying at madrasas.
NCPCR Chairman Priyanka Kanoongo stated that if any non-Muslim kid is studying in a madrasa, the government will stop funds and cancel registration for that madrasa.
Commissioner Shilpa Gupta had directed to verify all madrasas registered by the Madhya Pradesh Madrasa Board. The order also claimed that many non-Muslims were registered at madrasas illegitimately in order to get grants from the state government.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.
