Uttarakhand: Minority Education Bill passed in Assembly, will replace Madrasa Education Board Act

Uttarakhand Assembly passed the Minority Education Bill, 2025, on Wednesday, paving the way for extending minority status benefits to institutions run by the Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian, and Parsi communities, besides Muslims, in the state.

Once implemented, the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board Act, 2016, and the Uttarakhand Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules, 2019, will stand repealed, effective July 1, 2026.

In a social media post, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "Today (on Wednesday), the 'Uttarakhand Minority Education Bill-2025' was passed in the Assembly. Till now, the recognition of minority institutions was limited only to the Muslim community." He said that problems like irregularities in the distribution of central scholarships and mid-day meals and lack of transparency in management were also coming to the fore in the Madrasa education system for years.

The chief minister said that with the implementation of this bill, the Madrasa Education Board Act 2016 and the Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules 2019 will expire on July 1, 2026.

He said that now all the educational institutions of minority communities will get transparent recognition, which will not only strengthen the quality of education but will also ensure the protection of the interests of the students.

Dhami said that along with this, the government will get the right to effectively monitor the operation of minority educational institutions and issue necessary instructions.

This bill provides for the formation of such an authority, from where educational institutions established by minority communities will have to get recognition.

This authority will work to facilitate and promote educational excellence in these institutions, so that children from minority communities get quality education and their academic development can take place.

The authority will ensure that education is imparted in these institutions according to the standards set by the Uttarakhand Board of School Education, and the evaluation of students is fair and transparent.