INDIA: MUSLIM COMMUNITY ALARMED AS UP GOVT MOVES TO TAKE CONTROL OF MADRASA TEACHER RECRUITMENT

Sun 14 December 2025:

The Uttar Pradesh government’s latest move targeting madrasas has triggered renewed fear and disappointment among Muslims, who believe the state is slowly dismantling the autonomy of minority educational institutions.

After months of crackdowns that included shutting down unregistered madrasas and demolishing buildings with bulldozers, the government is now attempting to take charge of how teachers are appointed in government-funded madrasas.

Speaking at an event in Bahraich on 7 December, Minority Welfare Minister O. P. Rajbhar announced that future recruitment would be conducted through a state-level commission rather than by madrasa management committees.

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These committees currently oversee appointments under the Madrasa Regulations 2016, a framework specifically designed to uphold minority rights under Articles 28–30 of the Constitution. Rajbhar argued that the selection system should mirror the process used in government schools.

Two days after his remarks, the Director of Minority Welfare and the Registrar of the Madrasa Board issued a circular instructing all district minority officers to submit a detailed list of teachers employed in government-aided madrasas within three days.

The order referenced a legislative audit meeting held in May 2025, where the government claimed that widespread irregularities had occurred in several institutions including allegations that some management members hired their own relatives.

Committees were also ordered to file affidavits confirming that previous appointments complied with 2016 regulations and did not involve nepotism.

Madrasa operators and community leaders say the accusations are exaggerated and being used as a justification for deeper interference. A senior madrasa administrator in Lucknow, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the pattern is unmistakable.

He said, “First it was shutting down unregistered madrasas, then bulldozers, now this. These are not administrative corrections, they are steps to gain control.”

If implemented, the new system will directly affect around 560 government-funded madrasas and nearly 8,400 teachers, raising concerns about thousands of students who depend on these institutions.

Under the current mechanism, teacher appointments require the approval of a five-member committee, verification by the District Minority Welfare Officer, and final endorsement by the Madrasa Board.

Operators argue that the process already bars close relatives of committee members, and any violations are rare exceptions.

Voices from the community have strongly criticised the government’s plan. They say that irregularities cannot be used to paint an entire system as corrupt.

They term the police as a direct assault on constitutional protections. For now, Muslim organisations remain convinced that the intention is not reform but control.

They warn that the push to centralise appointments, along with recent closures and demolitions, could weaken institutions that have shaped community education for generations.

This article is republished from Muslim Mirror. Read the original article.