Uttar Pradesh govt to introduce coding, AI in madrassa curriculum

In a significant move towards modernizing education, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has decided to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) and coding into the curriculum for madrassa students. This initiative, led by the Yogi government, aims to provide madrassa students with a well-rounded digital education and align their learning opportunities with those of other education boards.

Empowering Madrassa Students with Digital Education: The announcement by the UP government marks a major stride in the integration of digital literacy, coding skills, and artificial intelligence concepts into the curriculum of madrassa education within the state.

Teacher Training Initiative: To ensure the effective teaching of these subjects, the government is committed to training madrassa teachers. As part of this digital literacy initiative, an orientation module on artificial intelligence will be launched in Lucknow, involving both school and madrassa teachers. Monica S Garg, Additional Chief Secretary of the Minority Welfare Department, has been tasked with overseeing the development of this program, with support from audio-visual experts. This teacher training is vital in equipping educators to impart knowledge about these emerging technologies to madrassa students.

Providing Resources for Digital Literacy: The initiative not only focuses on imparting digital literacy but also aims to provide the necessary resources to facilitate learning. Minister Dharampal Singh of Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf, and Haj highlighted that changes have been made to the madrassa syllabus to connect students with mainstream education while preserving their religious education. He cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of seeing economically disadvantaged Muslim children holding both the Quran and a laptop. Additionally, Aadhaar verification has been completed for madrassa students, with over 13,92,325 students enrolled in state madrassas. The government has supplied computers to 1,275 madrassas and distributed book banks, science kits, and mathematics kits to 7,442 madrassahs. The UP government's commitment to implementing artificial intelligence in madrassa education reflects its dedication to merging traditional and contemporary knowledge.

Mainstreaming Madrassa Education: With a total of 16,153 madrassas in UP, of which 560 receive state subsidies, the government's efforts aim to integrate Urdu, Hindi, and English into their instructional medium, in accordance with the Uttar Pradesh Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrassa Recognition Administration and Service Regulations 2016. This step is a stride towards mainstreaming madrassa students and bridging the education gap, preparing them for future careers in engineering, science, civil services, and more.

The Yogi government's commitment to introducing AI and coding into madrassa education not only aligns with the changing educational landscape but also empowers students with skills that are increasingly essential in the modern world.