PATNA: National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairman Priyank Kanoongo on Sunday raised serious concerns about what he claimed as “radical curriculum” and use of “Pakistan-published books” allegedly in government-funded madrassas in Bihar and the enrolment of Hindu children in such schools.
In a post on platform X, he questioned the role of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) in designing the madrassa curriculum, calling it the “height of appeasement by both Unicef and the Bihar State Madrassa Education Board”.Kanoongo urged the UN to investigate these activities and recommended the dissolution of the Madrassa Board.
“Many books included in the prescribed syllabus of these madrassas are published in Pakistan and research on their content is ongoing,” Kanoongo wrote in his post. He further criticised the inclusion of texts like Talimul Islam, which he claimed label non-Islamic people as ‘kafir’ (infidels). Kanoongo claimed while Hindu children have been admitted to these madrassas, the Bihar govt has not disclosed the ratio of Hindu and other children.
On the issue of transferring Hindu children from madrassas to schools, Kanoongo cited information from the Madrasa Board, saying the curriculum was developed by Unicef. He condemned this involvement, calling it the “height of appeasement” by both Unicef and the Madrasa Board.
“It is not Unicef’s job to create a radical curriculum using funds received from govts, under the guise of child protection,” he wrote in his post.
Unicef officials in Patna declined to comment on the controversy, but sources in the state education department indicated that Unicef prepared the madrassa curriculum at the Bihar State Madrasa Education Board’s request, aligning with the New Education Policy of the Centre.
“A madrassa is not a place for basic education of children in any form. Children, including those from Hindu community, should study in regular schools,” Kanoongo wrote in his post.
The NCPCR chairman said using funds for activities outside the scope of the Right to Education (RTE) Act violates both the Indian Constitution and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and called for a UN probe.
In a post on platform X, he questioned the role of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) in designing the madrassa curriculum, calling it the “height of appeasement by both Unicef and the Bihar State Madrassa Education Board”.Kanoongo urged the UN to investigate these activities and recommended the dissolution of the Madrassa Board.
“Many books included in the prescribed syllabus of these madrassas are published in Pakistan and research on their content is ongoing,” Kanoongo wrote in his post. He further criticised the inclusion of texts like Talimul Islam, which he claimed label non-Islamic people as ‘kafir’ (infidels). Kanoongo claimed while Hindu children have been admitted to these madrassas, the Bihar govt has not disclosed the ratio of Hindu and other children.
On the issue of transferring Hindu children from madrassas to schools, Kanoongo cited information from the Madrasa Board, saying the curriculum was developed by Unicef. He condemned this involvement, calling it the “height of appeasement” by both Unicef and the Madrasa Board.
“It is not Unicef’s job to create a radical curriculum using funds received from govts, under the guise of child protection,” he wrote in his post.
Unicef officials in Patna declined to comment on the controversy, but sources in the state education department indicated that Unicef prepared the madrassa curriculum at the Bihar State Madrasa Education Board’s request, aligning with the New Education Policy of the Centre.
“A madrassa is not a place for basic education of children in any form. Children, including those from Hindu community, should study in regular schools,” Kanoongo wrote in his post.
The NCPCR chairman said using funds for activities outside the scope of the Right to Education (RTE) Act violates both the Indian Constitution and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and called for a UN probe.
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