Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Amid reports that the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), under the Education Ministry, was planning to introduce Bhagwad Gita and Ramayana in madrassas, former UP governor and Congress leader Aziz Qureshi came down heavily on the BJP government.
Talking to ETV Bharat on the issue, Qureshi, who has served as the governor of Mizoram, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, said that the BJP government was doing these things to "please a particular community".
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"The government is welcome to introduce Gita and Ramayana in the education policy, but they should also introduce other religious books like the holy books of Sikhs, Christians and Jains," he said.
He further said, "If the BJP government thinks they can change the mindset of people by making them read particular religious books, then they are wrong."
However, Soon after the reports, the government clarified that this will not be compulsory and it is totally at the discretion of the learner.
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Clarifying that NIOS accredits Madrassas under SPQEM (Special provision for quality education of Madrassas), the Ministry of Education said, "Various subjects are offered to learners under this provision-without any hard-line boundaries of fixed subject combinations unlike that in the formal education."
According to officials, there are around 100 Madrasas with 50,000 students accredited with NIOS. Further, there are plans to accredit around 500 more Madrassas with the NIOS in the recent future-totally on the basis of the demand of Madrassas.
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