Madrasa certificates issued by 5 state boards at par with CBSE

NEW DELHI: Certificates issued by five state education boards to students of madrasas are equivalent to those issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education, according to an RTI query. Certificates issued by Bihar Sate Education Board, West Bengal Council of Education Board, Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education, Madhya Pradesh Board and Uttar Pradesh Board to madrasa students in their states are equivalent to those issued by schools under CBSE, it said.

With an aim to ease higher education across the country, the HRD Ministry has clarified that such madrasa certificates issued by the respective state boards were equivalent to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council of Boards of School Education (COBSE) and any other school boards, the RTI query sought by Muradabad-based activist Saleem Baig, said.

The Council of Boards of School Education in India (COBSE) is a voluntary association of all the Boards of School Education in the country. Under the Patna-based Bihar State Education Board three examinations -- 8th (vastania), 10th (fokania), and 12th (moulvi) are held under it, certifications of which are equivalent to CBSE.

In other four states, examinations are conducted only for classes equivalent to 10th and 12th. According to information obtained from the HRD Ministry, as many as 374 districts in the country have been identified as backward, among which 54 have a sizeable Muslim population.