Uttarakhand Madrassas to Teach Ramayana From New Academic Session – News18

Ramayana will now be taught across madrassas affiliated to the Uttarakhand Waqf Board. The new syllabus will be introduced to four madrassas initially out of the total 117 madrassas under the board. The story of Lord Ram will be introduced to four madrassas — one each in Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar districts from the upcoming 2024 academic session, reported Times of India. Teachers will also be recruited to impart lessons on Ramayana to the students and following this, the new syllabus will be introduced to the remaining 113 madrassas, officials said.

“We’ll teach the Quran as well as Ramayana. When we can tell our students about Lakshman, who gave up everything for his elder brother, then what is the need to tell them about Aurangzeb, who killed his brothers to get the throne? A proper dress code will also be introduced in the four identified madrassas,” Uttarakhand Waqf Board chairman Shadab Shams told the news agency.

The Uttarakhand Waqf board will appoint principals for the four madrassas who will be given the task of recruiting teachers who are “well-versed” in the subject well. The board further added that “elaborate arrangements” are being made for the introduction of the new syllabus.

“The four selected seminaries will be developed as model madrassas with smart classes… There is a strong need to upgrade educational standards of these institutions and we are also in the process of introducing National Council of Educational Research and Training books,” Shams said.

“The study of Shri Ram will be introduced in the Madrasas affiliated with the Waqf Board as part of our madrasa modernisation programme from March this year. Someone who gave up the throne and went to the forest to help his father keep a commitment! Who wouldn’t want to have a son like Shri Ram,” Shams told PTI.