In a move that goes a long way in mainstreaming Madrasa students across the country and help clear their way to higher education, the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry is all set to grant madrasa certificates equivalence to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

A key recommendation of the Sachar committee — and also on the PM’s 15-point programme for minorities — a special panel set up by the Ministry recently recommended that in states where madrasa certificates are recognized as equivalent to secondary and senior secondary level, these should also be granted equivalence by the CBSE.

The notification is expected soon and will benefit some 7000 madrasas and 3.5 lakh students in seven states that have madrasa boards: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam and West Bengal. This will also apply to madrasa certificated already issued.

In states without a madrasa board, the panel has recommended that students should have an option to approach a madrasa board in a neighbouring state to avail of the CBSE equivalence.

For enrolment of madrasa students in post-graduate courses, universities like Jamia Milia University, Jamia Hamdard and Aligarh Muslim University recognise graduation certificates from madrasas for select courses. The committee has recommended that this should be replicated across universities and for all courses. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has also constituted a committee to look into the issue.