The Madarsa Board in Uttarakhand will cease to exist as the state’s Governor, Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh (Retd.) has given his assent to the Uttarakhand Minority Education Bill (2025), which will bring all minority institutions—including madarsas—into the mainstream schooling framework.
Under the new law, every madarsa and other minority-run educational institution in the state will need to be recognised by the Uttarakhand Minority Education Authority, which will be constituted under the Act.
These institutions will also have to affiliate with the Uttarakhand Board of School Education (Uttarakhand Board). This will ensure that common academic standards and state-wide evaluation protocols are followed.
Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to formally abolish its Madarsa Board and bring all minority educational institutions under a unified academic structure.
According to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, this is a “historic step towards making the education system in the state equitable and modern".
This Act will kick into force from the July 2026 academic session. All minority institutions—whether run by Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, or Parsi communities—will teach under the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and follow the guidelines of the New Education Policy (NEP-2020).
“Our objective is to ensure that every child in the state, irrespective of their class or community, prospers with equal education and equal opportunities,” Dhami had said earlier.
The Act will do away with two sets of rules—the Uttarakhand Madarsa Education Board Act (2016), as well as the Uttarakhand Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madarsa Recognition Rules (2019)—ending the separate administrative system for madarsas.
The new authority will oversee recognition, quality standards, and accountability across all minority-run institutions.
The law expands the definition of minority education beyond the Muslim community, as it also adds Sikh, Jain, Christian, Buddhist, and Parsi institutions in the minority category.
It also acknowledges the teaching of Gurmukhi and Pali languages in institutions linked to Sikh and Buddhist communities.
Key features of the Act
1) Establishment of the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority to grant and regulate minority educational status.
2) Mandatory Registration of institutions under the Society Act/Trust Act/Companies Act, with land, bank accounts, and assets legally in the institution’s name.
3) Imparted education to be as per the standards of the Uttarakhand Board with fair and transparent evaluation of students.
4) While safeguarding the autonomy of minority-run institutions, the law allows for withdrawal of recognition in cases of financial irregularities, non-compliance, or activities harming social and religious harmony.
This is the first such legislation in the country which integrates all minority schools into a common framework. This way it balances the rights of minority communities to preserve their culture and language but with an emphasis on education that will make students ready for a career.
The move is part a larger push to modernise Uttarakhand’s education system. With the Governor’s approval, the implementation phase will soon begin.
However it may not put an end to protests against the sealing of hundreds of madarsas in the state which are under the scanner for running without proper registration and permissions.
Critics have decried this as an attack on Constitutional rights and a targeting of Muslims. However when all minority institutions are governed under the same framework, such criticism should dissipate.
It could also serve as a model for a way out for states like Uttar Pradesh, which have been struggling with investigations into financial irregularities, land grabs, and fake appointments and admissions to madarsas.