Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 12 : After National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) advised that state funding to Madrasas should be stopped, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying "Whatever system has been established by the constitution, they (BJP) want to change it."
Akhilesh Yadav accused BJP of 'creating' conflicts between castes, and religions.
"This country belongs to everyone - the constitution gives us the rights. Whatever system has been established by the constitution, they (BJP) want to change that. They are the people who want to do politics over - hatred, by creating conflicts between castes, and religions. But they won't succeed, people of the country, intellectuals of the society now understand that the discriminatory politics of the BJP won't go long." Yadav said.
Earlier in the day, NCPCR wrote a letter to Chief Secretaries and administrators of all states and Union Territories regarding the Commission's report 'Guardians of Faith or Oppressors of Rights: Constitutional Rights of Children vs. Madrasas'.
The report prepared by NCPCR consists of 11 chapters mentioning the history of Madrasas and "their role in violation of educational rights of children".
The NCPCR also recommended that state funding to the Madrasas should be stopped across all states and union territories and Madrasa Boards should be discontinued and closed down.
"The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, is grounded in the belief that achieving values such as equality, social justice, and democracy is only possible through the provision of inclusive education for all. However, a conflicting picture between fundamental right of children and right of minority communities has been created," the letter from NCPCR Chief Priyank Kanoongo said.
"In this regard, Commission has prepared a report titled Guardians of Faith or Oppressors of Rights: Constitutional Rights of Children vs. Madrasas. The report consists of 11 chapters touching upon different aspects of the history of Madrasas and their role in violation of educational rights of children. It is the duty of the State Governments to ensure that all children receive formal education in schools which are duly defined under Section 2(n) of the RTE Act, 2009," it said.
The Commission also asserted that merely constituting a Board or taking a UDISE Code does not mean that the Madrasas are following the provisions of RTE Act, 2009.
"Therefore, it has been recommended that State funding to the Madrasas and Madrasa Boards be stopped across all States/UTs and Madrasa Boards should be discontinued and closed down. This is subject to the Judgment of the Supreme Court on SLP (Civil) No. 008541 of 2024 in case of Uttar Pradesh," the Commission said.