Assam govt renames 1,281 Madrassas as ME schools

Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu announced that 1,281 madrassas in Assam have been renamed as ME schools.

Speaking to reporters, Ranoj Pegu said that the process was executed to promote uniformity and inclusivity within Assam's education system.

In an order issued by the Office of the Directorate of Elementary Education, Assam on Wednesday said, "As per approval of Govt. E-file No. 392611, dtd. 04/12/2023, the nomenclature of the 1281 Upper Primary Schools 'M.E. Madrassa' under Directorate of Elementary Education, Assam shall be known as 'M.E. School' with immediate effect."

Taking to his social media handle, Ranoj Pegu on Wednesday wrote on X, "Consequent to the conversion of all government and provincialized madrasas into general schools under SEBA, @SchoolEdnAssam has changed the names of 1,281 ME madrasas into ME schools by a notification today.

"Here is the link to the list of schools. This decision comes after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma previously expressed his intention to close all madrasas in the state," he said.

Earlier in 2022, the Gauhati High Court upheld The Assam Repealing Act, 2020, under which all Provincialised (government-funded) Madrasas are to be converted into general schools in Assam.

Earlier this year in July, the Assam Government released Rs 96.21 crore as School Grants to 40,970 Lower Primary and Upper Primary schools on Sunday, said the state Education Minister Ranoj Pegu.

The minister said that grants to 11,480 schools have been held back as some teachers from these schools have not updated their staff profiles in the Siksha Setu portal.

The Assam government, in April, launched its own Siksha Setu Asom Portal App to collect information about schools, teachers, students and other information. (ANI)