The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is all set to create its independent education board to institutionalize and modernize madrassa education in the country.

Lucknow’s Naib Imam and prominent member of AIMPLB national executive Maulana Khalid Rasheed told IANS here Monday: “The new board would be set up on the pattern of CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and ICSE (Indian Council of Secondary Education), with a view to promote literacy among Muslims.”

A decision to this effect was taken at a brain-storming session of AIMPLB in New Delhi earlier this month.

Among others, the meeting was attended by union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal as well as Minister of State for Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid.

Maulana Rasheed, who also heads Lucknow’s oldest Islamic seminary popularly known as “Firangi Mahal”, said: “The new education board would be empowered to grant affiliation to both religious and non-religious educational institutions.”

“The idea behind setting up such a board is to ensure uniform national curriculum in madrassas and other Islamic educational institutions across the country,” he said.

According to Maulana Rasheed: “The proposed education board would also devise schemes and programmes to promote literacy among Muslim women too.”

A committee has been constituted to prepare a blue-print for the proposed education board.

Among its members are Central Law University, Vidhisha, Vice Chancellor Faizan K. Mustafa, former Uttar Pradesh Minorities Commission chairman S.M.A. Kazmi, retired high court judge Fakhruddin, leading educationist E.A. Inamdar and Supreme Court advocate Niaz Farooqui. (IANS)