Deoband’s historic seminary among ‘unrecognised madrasas’ in Uttar Pradesh

It has come to light that not just thousands of small, irregular madrasas but even some of the biggest ones with international fame are not recognised by the State Madrasa Education Board

At a time when the Adityanath Government has started a controversial survey of unrecognised madrasas in Uttar Pradesh, it has come to light that not just thousands of small, irregular madrasas but even some of the biggest ones with international fame are not recognised by the State Madrasa Education Board. Among them are the historic Darul Uloom, Deoband; Nadwatul Ulamma, Lucknow; and Mazahir Uloom, Saharanpur.

None of them is affiliated with the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board or recognised by the State Government. Their students cannot aspire to sit for State or Central Government examinations for jobs unless they complete graduation from a recognised university.

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Set up in 1866, the Darul Uloom, Deoband, has more than a thousand students passing out of its portals every year. Except for those who complete their school through correspondence and follow it up with graduation from say, Maulana Azad National Urdu University or Jamia Millia Islamia, most are destined to be associated with madrasas only where they can aspire for a teacher’s job or be an imam or muezzin.

With salaries being as low as ₹6,000 in some cases, their pay scales fall well short of the government scales which they would have got had the seminary imparted them both theological and secular education with due recognition by the State bodies.

It is said that these historic madrasas, including Deoband and Lucknow Nadwa, do not apply for recognition to avoid paying their academic and administrative staff according to the official scales of the State.

There is a feeling too that recognition by the Madrasa Board is a two-edged weapon. On the one hand, it can get madrasas some grant from the government, on the other, there is the risk of increased interference of officials in day-to-day functioning.