The Uttarakhand government has introduced the Uttarakhand Minority Education Bill 2025 in the Assembly, which will mandate all madrasas and minority educational institutions in the state to obtain recognition from a newly formed authority. The bill, tabled on Tuesday, is set to be passed and implemented from Wednesday.
Under the new law, the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority will be established, comprising a nominated chairperson and 11 members. The chairperson will be a minority community educationist with at least 15 years of teaching experience, including five years as a professor. Six members will be from minority communities—Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, and Parsi—while the remaining five will include a retired state government officer, a social worker with 10 years of experience in school education, the Director General of School Education, the Director of SCERT, and the Director of Minority Welfare.
The bill states that madrasas currently recognized under the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board Act 2016 and the 2019 rules can continue until the 2025–26 academic session. From 2026–27, they will need fresh recognition from the new authority to continue providing religious education. Recognition will be valid for three academic sessions, after which renewal will be required.
To secure recognition, institutions must meet several conditions: the land must be registered under the institution’s society, all financial transactions must be conducted through a commercial bank account in the institution’s name, and no student or staff member can be forced to participate in religious activities. Additionally, teachers must be appointed as per qualifications set by the authority.
