Thaindian News

Patna, Jan 25 (IANS) After school going girls, girls studying at Madrassas (Islamic seminaries) in Bihar would also be provided free bicycles by the state government, official sources Sunday said. The government plans to distribute bicycles free of cost to girls attending Madrassas across the state, and has approved funds for the purpose, the sources said. Last year, girls studying till Class 9 in government schools were gifted bicycles.

About 4,000 Madrassa going girls, who are student of Fauqania (equivalent to class 10), would be provided bicycles under the Chief Minister’s Cycle Project, which would enable them to reach the Madrassas on their own, particularly in rural areas.

Madrassa board chairman, Maulana Ejaz Ahmad told IANS that the board had asked all the district education officers to prepare a list of girl students of tenth standard in Madrassas so they could be given the bicycles.

At present, the fauqania course is available in 150 of the total 1,119 government-run madrassas in the state.

There are over 4,000 madrassas in Bihar, including the seminaries where the salary of the staff is paid by the state government. There are 2,459 unaided madrassas and hundreds of others operating at different places.

According to the first ever status paper brought out by the board, there are only 32 madrassas for girls under the government-aided category and 576 madrassas in the unaided category.

Some madrassas in Bihar have begun modernising their education system by introducing computers and science subjects. They even encourage students to join the National Cadet Corps (NCC) or the Scouts and Guides.