Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that 'madrasas' should cease to exist and that Quran should be taught at home only.
He was speaking at an event organized to mark the 75th anniversary of 'Panchjanya', where he also asserted that children will not be able to think of becoming doctors and engineers till the word 'madrasa' exists.
''As long as this word (madrasa) is there, children will not be able to think of becoming doctors and engineers. If you tell children that studying in madrasas will not make them doctors or engineers, they will refuse to go on their own,'' he added.
''You teach the Quran to your children, but at home. By admitting them in madrasas, you violate their human rights,'' he avowed.
The Assam CM further said that there should be an emphasis on Science, Math, Biology, Botany, and Zoology, adding, ''There should be general education in schools''.
''Religious texts can be taught at home. But in schools, children should study to become doctors, engineers, professors, and scientists,'' he added.
Later, while replying to a question that students in madrasas are extremely talented, they can memorize every word of the Quran easily, Sarma said, "All Muslims were Hindus as no one was born a Muslim (in India). Everyone was a Hindu in India. So, if a Muslim child is extremely meritorious, I will give partial credit to his Hindu past."
This year, the Gauhati High Court upheld the Assam Repeal Act, 2020, under which all provincial (government-funded) madrasas in the state were to be converted into normal schools.
In 2021, 13 people filed a petition in the Guwahati High Court challenging the government's decision to convert state-funded madrassas into normal schools.
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