New Delhi,6 May:(Rajya Sabha):Information regarding number of registered and unregistered madarsas is not maintained centrally.Madarsas are not allocated any funds for infrastructural development. Madarsas which volunteer to teach modern subjects like Science, Maths and Social Studies in addition to their traditional curriculum are provided financial assistance through respective State Governments for Honorarium to teachers in modern subjects, Science-Maths kits and book banks. Details of grants released to the States during the year 2005-06 and 2006-07.
National Monitoring Committee for Minorities Education had set up a Committee of Experts on Modernization of Madarsas Programme. The Committee after consultations with Community leaders and Madarsa Managements has made suggestions to remove weaknesses in the existing Madarsas Modernisation Programme.. Based on these suggestions, the Programme is being modified to provide for linkages of volunteering Madarsas with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and imparting of vocational education in addition to modern subject, without affecting their traditional teaching.This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri M.A.A. Fatmi in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.