Uttarakhand moves weekly holiday in 206 recognised madrasas to Sunday

The Uttarakhand government has moved the weekly holiday in recognised madrasas from Friday to Sunday, bringing them in line with other schools in the state, officials said on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The State Minority Education Authority, which has replaced the old Madrasa Board, directed the state Education Department to put the change into effect. According to reports of the order, about 206 madrasas that are recognised by the Education Department or have applied for recognition are covered.

For students and teachers in the affected madrasas, the change is practical first. Their weekly day off moves, and their timetable will match that of other recognised schools in the state. That matters for exams, inter-school events, government training days for teachers and holiday calendars, which state education departments plan around a Sunday weekly off.

The decision is also a step in a larger restructuring of minority education in Uttarakhand. Until this year, madrasas in the state were governed by a separate Madrasa Board under a 2016 law. That law and the 2019 rules for recognising madrasas were set to lapse on July 1, 2026, and a State Minority Education Authority now oversees these institutions. Madrasas that want recognition now seek it from the state Education Department, which treats them as schools.

The authority's chairman, Surjit Singh Gandhi, said that even after receiving recognition from the Education Department and the authority, a few madrasas had continued to observe their weekly off on Fridays. The authority presents the Sunday holiday as part of aligning madrasa education with the state's academic standards, and says more than 30,000 children in these institutions have been brought into the mainstream school system. Chief Minister Dhami's argument is similar: since these madrasas are now recognised schools, the rules that apply to all educational institutions apply to them too.

The move has drawn political criticism. Congress spokesperson Pratima Singh asked why the BJP turns its attention to madrasas, namaz and mazars whenever elections approach, and the party called the decision polarising. The BJP responded that the Congress's objections showed where its sympathies lay. Reports also note that views within the Muslim community differ. A similar proposal to move the madrasa weekly off from Friday to Sunday was discussed by the Uttar Pradesh madrasa board in 2022 and was opposed by a madrasa teachers' association there.

What is changing and what is not:

The order applies to madrasas that are recognised or are seeking recognition. Reports suggest it should not be read as a rule for every religious institution in the state, and unrecognised madrasas are outside the Education Department's school framework.

Short-term: The affected madrasas will need to change their weekly schedules, and the Education Department is expected to issue instructions on implementation. Parents and students should check with their institution for the date from which the Sunday holiday applies.

Long-term: The change is part of folding recognised madrasas into the general school system, which brings common rules on calendars, inspections and academic standards. How the authority handles the curriculum, teacher qualifications and recognition of the remaining institutions will decide what the restructuring means for the children who study there.

Who is affected: More than 30,000 students and the teachers and staff of about 206 recognised or applying madrasas in Uttarakhand, their families, the State Minority Education Authority and the state Education Department.

Questions and Answers