Religious schools out of RTE Act

The central government has decided to keep madrasas - traditional Muslim schools - out of the purview of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, along with Vedic Pathshalas, by incorporating amendments in the law.

Union human resources minister Kapil Sibal disclosed this while reacting to the Supreme Court order exempting the unaided minority schools from the Act in its judgment on Thursday.

Sibal told reporters that a Bill to amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education for the purpose, had been moved in 2010 and is pending before the Rajya Sabha. The government is incorporating necessary changes in the Bill to keep both aided as well as unaided madrasas out of the purview of the law, to allay apprehensions of the Muslim groups.

They fear the RTE was being used by the government to impose its curriculum. Besides madrasas, Sibal said, traditional ‘Vedic Pathshalas’ will also be kept out of the purview of the law.

Facing flak from Darul Uloom Deoband and the All India Muslim Personal Board, Sibal had kept the madrasas out of the purview of the Act, while formalising guidelines in November 2010. However, these organisations remained unimpressed, urging changes in the law itself.

Under Sarvashiksha Abhiyan (SSA), aided madrasas are given free books and a monthly grant of Rs5,000 to encourage them to teach English and Mathematics.