Apex children’s rights organization NCPCR has asked all states and territories of the Union to conduct an investigation into all publicly funded and accredited madrassas that admit non-Muslim children.
The chairman of the National Commission for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (NCPCR), Priyank Kanoongo, noted in a letter to all chief secretaries that children belonging to non-Muslim communities attend state-funded or accredited madrassas.
“The committee has also learned that some states and Union territories are also providing them with grants.” “It is a clear violation and violation of Article 28(3) of the Constitution of India, which prohibits educational institutions from requiring children to participate in religious classes without parental consent,” the letter said.
Madrassas, as institutions, are primarily responsible for providing religious education to children, the committee said, adding that those madrassas that are publicly funded or recognized provide both religious and to some extent formal education to children to give.
“In view of the above facts, the Committee, in exercising its powers, recommends a detailed investigation of all publicly funded/recognized madrassas that admit non-Muslim children into your States and Union Territories.
The investigation should include physical verification of children attending such madrasas. After the investigation, admit all these children to schools to benefit from formal education,” the NCPCR letter said.
The commission also asked the states and Union Territories “to map all uncharted madrasas in your states and Union Territories and admit all children to schools to use formal education with immediate effect”.
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