Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday directed the education department officials to drop the word ‘Maktab’ from the names of 63 schools in Assam.

“The word Maktab would be dropped from the names of schools in Assam as there is no Maktab education system in Assam anymore,” Sarma said while addressing the media in Guwahati

Maktab is a traditional Islamic elementary school, primarily teaching literacy and the Quran.

The minister also informed that the work to convert Madrasas and Sanskrit Tols to government schools will begin soon.

In a significant move, the Assam government recently decided to shut all the state-run Madrasas and Sanskrit tols.

“We have decided to close down the Madrasas and Sanskrit tols because we don’t want the government institutions to provide religious education,” minister Sarma had said in Guwahati.

“If someone is teaching religion using own money that is no problem, but if state funding is used to teach the Quran, then we have to teach Gita, Bible as well.

“Therefore, the govt run Madrassas, High Madrassas and Sanskrit Tols (schools) operating in the state will be converted to regular schools very soon,” he said.