Lucknow, May 20 -- The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh plans to amend the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education Act 2004 in an attempt to modernise the curriculum of religious seminaries, although the move is likely to be contentious because Indian law allows minority institutions to set their own curriculum. The proposed amendments include the presence of mandatory science and computer laboratories, the adoption of NCERT (National Council for Education, Research and Training) syllabus from Class 1 to 3 and SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training) syllabus from Class 4 to 8, and compulsory teaching of English and Hindi from Class 3 to 10. Confirming the move, Uttar Pradesh minister of state for minority welfare Danish Azad Ansari said these proposals were discussed with the CM in a meeting. He added that all these requirements are mandatory for "affiliation from the UP-Madrasa Board". Most madrasas do not have science and computer labs, follow their own curricula and English and Hindi are optional in Class 10. Chairman of the Islamic Centre of India and AIMPLB member, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, said: "Instead of announcements, the government should focus on quality education in madrasas. They should ensure qualified teachers are appointed for madrasas and are paid on time... Modern subjects like Hindi, English, Computer, Science, etc were already been taught in the Madrasas, this is nothing new." The amendments also provide for teaching Class 12 students vocational skills such as agriculture and commerce. Sports and physical education will also be compulsory for students of Class 12. In addition to the curriculum, the amendments also call for madrasas to have a minimum of five rooms for the primary level (Class 1 to 5), eight rooms for Secondary level (Class 6 to 8). Above grade nine level, the number of classrooms will depend on the requirement. Madrasas will have to ensure drinking water facility along with a library, wash rooms and proper furniture. Samajwadi Party spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi said, "It's good to introduce subjects like English, Hindi and computer education in madrasas. This move will help madrasa students gain modern skills and prepare them for broader educational and employment opportunities. However, it is equally important that such reforms do not interfere with the autonomy of madrasas in imparting religious education."...