Madrassa students in UP explore new academic options after SC scraps Kamil and Fazil degrees

Thousands of madrassa students in Uttar Pradesh are reconsidering their academic plans after the Supreme Court declared Kamil and Fazil degrees unconstitutional. Many are preparing to enrol in university programmes, while teachers and associations seek a legal solution to regularise their qualifications

Lucknow: Several students enrolled in Kamil and Fazil courses at madrassas in Uttar Pradesh are now exploring new academic options after the Supreme Court struck down the state madrassa board’s authority to award these degrees, calling it a contravention of the UGC Act.

Around 32,000 students were enrolled in these courses across the state when the Supreme Court, on November 5 last year, deemed the Uttar Pradesh madarsa education board’s practice of awarding Kamil (graduate-level) and Fazil (postgraduate-level) degrees “unconstitutional”, ruling that such authority lies only with universities regulated under the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act.

For Saqlain Raza, a Fazil first-year student at Madarsa Jamia Farooquia in Varanasi, the ruling has forced a major shift.

Raza, who has already cleared his first-year Fazil exam, is now preparing to join Kashi Vidyapeeth for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.

“I have to think about my career. Given the situation, I will pursue BA, and later, MA,” he told PTI. He said although his Aalim (higher secondary) qualification makes him eligible for BA admission, the years he spent pursuing Kamil and Fazil would effectively go to waste.

Raza is not alone. Many students pursuing higher religious studies in madrassas are uncertain about their academic careers.

Ghulam Masih, a Kamil first-year student from Madarsa Darul Uloom Faiz-ur-Rasool in Siddharthnagar, said he too is planning to enrol into BA and MA courses from a university.

However, he hopes a solution may emerge, noting that a case is pending in court seeking affiliation of madrassa students with Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University.

Others, however, feel trapped. Mohammad Saad Nizami, who appeared for the Fazil first-year exam from Madarsa Taleemuddin in Mau district, said his studies have come to a halt.

“I took my exam in February 2024 and have already lost nearly one-and-a-half years. I request the government to resolve the situation created after the court order,” he said.

Unsure about the future, Nizami said he has considered abandoning his studies and seeking work if academic avenues do not emerge.

Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Minority Welfare Danish Azad Ansari said the government is working on a solution.

“We will take a decision after examining all legal aspects,” he said, assuring that teachers currently employed in aided madrassas on the basis of Kamil and Fazil degrees would not be affected.

The Teachers’ Association Madaris-e-Arabia Uttar Pradesh has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking that madrassa students be affiliated with Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University so their exams and degrees can be regularised.

The court, during a hearing on May 30, sought responses from the State government, UGC, and the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education.

However, Kunwar Basit Ali, president of the BJP minority morcha in Uttar Pradesh, opposed the idea of mid-session affiliation.

He said madrassa curricula for Kamil and Fazil were not at par with university standards. “If affiliation is required, students should be admitted afresh into the university’s degree programmes,” he said, adding that he would soon take up the issue with the State minority welfare minister.

Madrassa teachers’ association general secretary Diwan Sahab Zaman Khan said most madrassa students belong to economically weaker backgrounds and cannot afford high university fees if asked to enrol privately.

A senior official at the language university, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they could not comment as the issue is before the Supreme Court.