Guwahati
In a controversial move, Assam government has directed to drop ‘Maktab’ word from the names of 63 schools in Assam. Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the government is determined to close all aided institutes imparting religious education, Sarma said, “Since there is no Maktabi education system now, the word ‘Maktab’ will be dropped from the names of the schools.

Students of these schools have to face problems due to the notion that religious education is imparted there.”The move assumes significance as Maktabs are traditional institutions of the Muslim community. Children from the Muslim community attend Maktabs as a religious binding.

To bring out-of-school Muslim children, especially girls, within the fold of primary education, in 1995-96, District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) Assam had converted 60 Maktabs into alternative schools in 3 DPEP districts of Assam, particularly in Darrang, Dhubri and Morigaon.The minister also announced that work to convert Madrasas and Sanskrit Tols to government schools will begin after the state budget is tabled.asianage