Allocations to madrasa and waqf educational schemes slashed almost to nil in 2024-25

Centre slashes educational scheme allocations for Muslims, impacting literacy rates and sparking controversy over madrasa reforms.

The story so far: Allocations for educational schemes for Muslims have been completely slashed in the past four years, revealed the Centre on Monday (March 17, 2025). In a reply to Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien’s query on budgetary allocations for madrasa and Waqf schemes and its expenditure in the past four years, the Centre revealed that allocation for Scheme for Providing Education in Madrasas/Minorities (SPEMM) had dropped from ₹174 crore in 2021-22 to ₹0.01 crore in 2024-25. Apart from 2021-22, the allocated funds remained unutilised. 

“Ministry of Minority Affairs implements two waqf schemes namely Quami Waqf Board Taraqqiati Scheme (QWBTS) and Shahari Waqf Sampatti Vikas Yojana (SWSVY) through Central Waqf Council (CWC). Since Central Waqf Council has not been fully constituted, less expenditure was incurred,” stated Union Minster of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju in his written reply. 

Moreover, SPEMM was transferred from the Education Department to the Minority Affairs Ministry in 2021. “As the scheme was approved only up to 2021-22, the Ministry of Minority Affairs implemented this Scheme only for FY 2021-22,” stated Mr. Rijiju. In 2021-22, SPEMM allocation was ₹174 crore of which ₹161.53 crore was spent. In the following years, allocation dropped to ₹30 crore in 2022-23, ₹5 crore in 2023-24 and ₹0.01 crore in 2024-25, while expenditure also slumped to ₹0.08 crore in 2022-23 to zero in 2024-25.

Similarly, allocation for QWBTS dropped from ₹10 crore in 2021-22 to ₹3.06 crore in 2024-25 of which only ₹ 6.72 crore was spent in 2021-22 and ₹0.06 crore in 2024-25. For SWSVY, the allocation itself ranged between ₹ 2 to ₹5 crore between 2021 and 2025, while expenditure dropped from ₹1 crore in 2021-22 to none in 2024-25.

Restructuring the existing education schemes for Muslims to include more minorities, SPEMM was launched by the Modi government in 2014-15. Noting that madrassas mainly provided religious education, SPEMM was launched to provide Muslim students access to education in modern subjects, teacher training, strengthen state-run madrassa boards, strengthening school infrastructure in minority institutions and raise awareness among Muslims about education programmes. 

Funding pattern for SPEMM was similar to other central schemes — 90:10 for North-Eastern States, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand, 100% for UTs without legislature and 60:40 for the other States. Madrassas affiliated to any recognised school education board, with a valid Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) code and mapped on Geographical Information System (GIS), were eligible for financial assistance. 

Graduate teachers covering modern subjects are offered up to ₹6,000 per month while post-graduate teachers are offered up to ₹12,000 per month. As per norms of Samagra Shiksha, SPEMM also offered in-service training, remedial teaching, assessment and enhancement of learning outcomes. Madrassa boards are offered upto ₹5,00,000 for strengthening administration, supervision and monitoring the programme.