Madrasa Teachers Relief: UP Govt to frame plan for adjustment of 22,000 jobless educators

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government may provide relief to around 22,000 teachers who lost their jobs after the closure of the Madrasa Modernisation Scheme nearly 26 months ago, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directing officials to prepare a roadmap for their adjustment.

Minister of State for Minority Welfare Danish Azad Ansari said the chief minister issued the directive during a review meeting on Tuesday, following discussions on the issue. Speaking to PTI, Ansari said the discontinuation of the scheme in 2023-24 had rendered thousands of teachers jobless, and the government was exploring ways to accommodate them within the madrasa education system.

"The chief minister has said that nearly 22,000 teachers appointed under the scheme since its inception in 1995 have contributed significantly to improving education and will not be deprived of their rights," he said, adding that a comprehensive plan would be prepared to determine how they can be adjusted.

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Officials in the Minority Welfare Department said the scheme, launched by the Centre in 1995, aimed to introduce modern subjects such as English, Hindi, science, mathematics and social science alongside religious education in madrasas. They said around 22,000 ad hoc teachers were engaged in Uttar Pradesh under the scheme, teaching in both aided and unaided madrasas. However, with the Centre discontinuing its funding, the scheme was shut down, leaving the teachers without salaries for more than two years. Teachers' representatives welcomed the move.

General secretary of the Teachers Association Madaris Arabia Uttar Pradesh, Diwan Sahab Zaman Khan, said the proposed adjustment plan would be a positive step if implemented. He noted that the scheme was initially fully funded by the central government, which provided monthly honorariums ranging from Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000 depending on qualifications. Later, during the Samajwadi Party government, the state added its share, increasing the total remuneration.

Khan said the scheme primarily helped unaided madrasas, where teachers for modern subjects were otherwise not available. Some affected teachers expressed cautious optimism, saying the chief minister's directive raised hopes of relief, even though the remuneration under the scheme had been modest.

"If the government moves ahead with adjustment, it will provide much-needed support to those who have been unemployed since the scheme ended," a teacher said.