Ajmal to move SC against closure of govt madrassas in Assam: AIUDF chief says move will deprive poor students of education

AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal has announced his intent to challenge the Assam government's decision to close state-run madrassas by taking the matter to the Supreme Court. Expressing optimism, Ajmal cited the Supreme Court's condemnation of a similar move by the Uttar Pradesh government as a reference for potential legal success.

 His move comes amid significant changes in Assam's educational landscape, including the conversion of 1,281 Upper Primary Middle English (ME) Madrassas into general ME schools and the transformation of 610 state-run madrassas into primary, high, and higher secondary schools with unchanged staff conditions.

In a series of legislative maneuvers, the Assam government, led by the BJP, repealed key acts pertaining to madrassa education, including The Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialisation) Act, 1995, and The Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialisation of Services of Employees and Re-Organisation of Madrassa Educational Institutions) Act, 2018.

These repeals facilitated the closure of state-funded madrassas, redirecting them into general educational institutions. Ajmal's recourse to the Supreme Court highlights the contentious nature of the government's actions and signals a legal battle over the future of madrassa education in Assam.