Maharashtra minorities minister Eknath Khadse has announced that subjects like English, Mathematics, Science and Social Sciences will have to be compulsorily taught in madrassas across the state, apart from religion.

According to a report in a Marathi news daily, the minister has further stated that madrasses which do not follow this directive will not be eligible for subsidies.

3 teachers will be assigned to each madrassa to teach the above four subjects, Khadse announced.

There are 1,889 madrassas in Maharashtra, and a subsidy of Rs 5,50,000 per year is provided to each.

It remains to be seen whether there is any strident opposition to this directive. For many years, madrassas have been opposed to any state government directive forcing them to teach non-religious subjects.

Education minister Vinod Tawde on the other hand has announced that students who fail their Class 10 exams will be eligible to retake them in July. This will reduce the percentage of students who have to wait another year to clear their exams, it is believed.