The Department of School Education in Assam on Thursday announced that as many as 1,281 Madrassas in the state will now be renamed as Middle English (ME) Schools.
Taking to his X handle, state education minister Ranoj Pegu wrote, “Consequent to conversion of all Govt and Provincialised Madrasas into general schools under Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA). Department of School Education, Assam has changed the names of 1281 ME Madrasas into Middle English (ME) School by a notification today.”
The order stated, “As per approval of the state government, the nomenclature of the 1281 Upper Primary Schools ME Madrassa under Directorate of Elementary Education, Assam shall be known as ME School with immediate effect.”
This signifies a significant shift in the nomenclature of these educational institutions, underscoring the government’s dedication to fostering uniformity and inclusivity within Assam’s education system.
Consequent to conversion of all Govt and Provincialised Madrasa’s into general schools under SEBA, @SchoolEdnAssam has changed the names of 1281 ME Madrasas into ME School by a notification today. Here is the link for the list of schools. @himantabiswa @Samagra_Assam…— Ranoj Pegu (@ranojpeguassam) December 13, 2023
Earlier Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had stated that he intended to close all Madrasas because he preferred educational institutions over Islamic religious centers. He said, “No parent wants their children to become maulobis. This is to produce doctors, engineers, scientists, and teachers from Madrassas, instead of just a religious preacher.”
This however was also challenged by quite some people of the muslim community in the state.
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The Assam government has meanwhile decided to reserve 5 per cent seats in engineering colleges for students of state-run schools. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the decision to reserve the seats was taken to encourage more enrollment in state-run schools.