States » NorthPosted at: Oct 15 2026 12:13AM


Questions raised on minority status of Uttarakhand's non madarsa educational institutions

Prithviraj Singh
Dehradun, Oct 14 (UNI) Going by the Uttarakhand education department's figures, the state's minority educational institutions lack the requisite qualification for the same. Except for madarsas none of the minority educational institutions have the mandatory 85 percent student enrollment from minority communities.
The Uttarakhand education department's record available with the newly-formed State Minority Education Authority (SMEA) shows that none of the 91 non-madarsa minority educational institutions fulfill the condition requiring 85 percent registration of minority community students.
According to SMEA officials, most of the institutions in the state have not yet approached the authority to seek its recognition following changes made by the government in educational norms and policies.
Only nearly 450 madarsas that were functioning under the abandoned State Madarsa Board qualified for being designated as minority institutions.
Interestingly, the matter came to the light after the Pushkar Singh Dhami government's recently-instituted new norms for minority educational institutions mandating they must have 85 percent enrollment of students belonging to minority communitoes and get affiliated with SMEA.
According to the officials, questions are being raised over the minority status of these institutions and facilities being provided by them to the students.
According to SMEA chairman Surjeet Singh Gandhi, the matter came to light after the state government imposed the condition of mandatory registration of 85 percent minority students for recognition and renewal from the authority.
The SMEA was formed by the state government about eight months ago for granting recognition of Madarsas and other minority educational institutions.
However, minority educational institutions other than Madarsas have not come forward for recognition.
Officials said only two non-Madarsa institutions in the state have so far sought recognition from the authority. According to the rules, compliance with the standards prescribed by the state education department is necessary to achieve minority institution status in Uttarakhand.
Departmental officials informed that a plan is being chalked out for investigation of those minority educational institutions that have failed to fullfill requirements for retaining the minority status.
"The question is that when a large number of institutions are not adhering to the prescribed standards, on what basis are they getting exemptions as minority institutions," said an official from SMEA on condition of anonymity.
"For recognition as minority institution in Uttarakhand 85 percent of the students must belong to the minority communities of the state. Institutions should fulfill all the standards and obtain recognition promptly, before inviting legal action from the government," said Surjeet Singh Gandhi, Chairman SMEA.
According to the SMEA record, apart from 452 Madarsas there are 91 other minority educational institutions in the state. Among these 27 are secondary schools and 64 are basic-level institutions.
Of these, mere 35 Madarsas and two other minority educational institutions have obtained recognition from the authority till date.
SMEA official added that for recognition and renewal, minority educational institutions will have to provide a copy of the admission register for the past three years. They will also be required to submit a self-declaration mentioning no more than 15 percent of students enrolled in their institutions over the last three years were from non-minority communities.
Also minority educational institutions will have to renew their affiliations in every three years, said the officer.
UNI PS RN
Tags: #Questions raised on minority status of Uttarakhand's non madarsa educational institutions
More News

Ram Nath Kovind's life journey is an inspiration for every Indian: CM Yogi

15 Oct 2026 | 12:40 AM

Lucknow, Oct 14 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, on Wednesday released the autobiography of former President of India Ram Nath Kovind, 'Bharatiya Ganrajya Ki Vijaygatha: Mera Jeevan, Mera Sangharsh', at the Lok Bhavan auditorium, in the former President's presence.

see more..

IMD warns of heavy to very heavy rain, hailstorms and 60 kmph winds in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi

15 Oct 2026 | 12:38 AM

Panchkula, Oct 14 (UNI) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during October 14–15, accompanied by hailstorms, lightning and winds gusting up to 60 kmph, raising concerns over possible damage to standing crops, power lines and vulnerable structures.

see more..

Haryana sets up 141 Safe Cradle Centres to prevent newborn abandonment

15 Oct 2026 | 12:36 AM

Panchkula, Oct 14 (UNI) In a bid to prevent newborns from being abandoned in potentially fatal conditions, the Haryana Government has established 141 Safe Cradle Centres across the state, urging parents unable to care for their children to surrender them safely instead of leaving them in garbage dumps, bushes, roadsides or deserted places. .

see more..

Haryana eyes two Indo-Russian drone ventures at Sisai as Saini pushes aerospace investment

15 Oct 2026 | 12:34 AM

Chandigarh, Oct 14 (UNI) Haryana is exploring two major Indo-Russian joint ventures to manufacture helicopter drones capable of carrying 200-kg payloads over 250 km and develop GPS-independent navigation systems using Indian semiconductor chips, following Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini's talks with a high-level Russian delegation, ahead of his four-day investment visit to Sweden. .

see more..

Haryana ministers honour Asian Games gold medallist shooter Neeru Dhanda, announce Rs 45 lakh reward

15 Oct 2026 | 12:29 AM

Jind, Oct 14 (UNI) Asian Games gold medallist shooter Neeru Dhanda was felicitated by three senior Haryana leaders at a ceremony in her native village Sangatpura in Jind district, with each announcing a cash reward of Rs 15 lakh, taking the total to Rs 45 lakh, even as they urged her to set her sights on the Olympics. .

see more..