Yogi Govt to enforce new dress code for students in Islamic schools

The Yogi Adityanath government decided to enforce a new dress code for students studying in Islamic religious schools called `madarsas’ affiliated to State Madarsa Board. 

As part of its efforts to modernise madarsa education, the government plans to do away with the traditional white kurta-pyjama.

The move comes after the government implemented NCERT books in madarsas in an effort to bring students at par with their counterparts in other schools.

Minister of state for Minority Affairs Mohsin Raza said, “Our aim is to bring madarsas at par with other educational institutions. Till now, madarsa students wore white kurta-pyjama, which is more or less symbolic of a particular faith. We will soon propose a new dress code for them. With modern studies, students should also wear modern uniform,” he said.

Though Raza did not clarify what the new dress code would be, experts feel the students might be expected to wear trouser-shirt.

Calling upon Muslims to shed their minority mindset, the minister said,” Muslims should stop calling themselves as minorities and asked them not to be afraid of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modijee is not anti-Muslim.” 

With Lok Sabha elections around the corner, the BJP was trying to dent into the Muslim vote bank and was trying its best to project the PM as a well wisher of Muslims.

The state government has made changes in the syllabus to connect madarsas with mainstream education system, following which NCERT books were made mandatory.  

The HRD ministry is working on a plan to revamp madarsa education in the country under Scheme to Provide Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM). Under this, institutions would have to get affiliated to either Madarsa Boards or State boards to be eligible for Central government funds. 

The government is also planning to map madarsas in the country based on their Global Positioning System.