The state Madrasa Education Board issued an order mandating madrasas in Uttar Pradesh to sing the national anthem. The order will apply to all recognised madrassas, both aided and unaided.
On May 9, Registrar SN Pandey of the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board issued an order to all district minority welfare officers in this regard. According to the directive, the national song has been made required at the time of prayer in all madrasas from the new academic session, in accordance with the decision approved at the board meeting on March 24. According to Pandey, during the month of Ramzan, madrasas were closed from March 30 to May 11, and regular sessions resumed on May 12. As a result, the order took effect on Thursday.
The national anthem will be played before the class starts in the morning, according to the decision taken in the board meeting on March 24.
To ensure that the order is followed, district minority welfare officers would have to monitor it on a regular basis. According to Diwan Saheb Zaman Khan, general secretary of the Teachers’ Union Madaris Arabia, before the commencement of classes, madrasas used to read Hamd (praises to Allah) and Salam (Greetings of Muhammad). In some instances, the national anthem was also sung, but it was not mandatory. However, it is now a necessity.
Last month, the state’s minority welfare minister, Dharampal Singh, underlined the importance of promoting nationalism in madrassas. The government also wants the madrasa pupils to have a nationalistic spirit, according to Departmental MoS Danish Azad Ansari. There are currently 16,461 madrassas in Uttar Pradesh, with 560 receiving government funds.
