22 October 2026 | The Scroll
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday announced that madrasas recognised as schools in the state would not have their weekly holiday on Friday, reported The Indian Express. Instead, they will be shut on Fridays.
In India, Islamic seminaries are called madrasas.
The government in July abolished its statutory madrasa board and brought educational institutions run by all six notified minority communities under a single regulatory authority.
Institutions run by Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis are now regulated by the Uttarakhand State Authority for Minority Education, created after the 2025 Uttarakhand Minority Education Act came into force on July 1.
On Wednesday, Dhami said that the new rules on weekly holidays aim to bring minority-run institutions under common academic and administrative standards.
“We have already introduced a Uniform Civil Code in the state,” Dhami was quoted as saying. “There should be a uniform system for everyone. All educational institutions should operate in the same direction, and we are working towards that goal.”