The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday approved the introduction of National Council of Educational Research and Training textbooks in madrassas across the state. Subjects such as science, mathematics and social sciences will now be taught according to the NCERT syllabus, the Hindustan Times reported.

The Adityanath-led government also decided to amend the Uttar Pradesh Ashashkiya Arabi and Farsi Madrasa Manyata Prashashan aur Seva Rules, 2016, to introduce Hindi and English as the mediums of instruction for mathematics, science, computers and social sciences, PTI reported. Earlier, the students were taught only in Urdu.

The UP Madrasa Board said on May 15 that no textbooks had been prescribed for these subjects though there was a provision to teach them in addition to Islamic theology and religious laws. Adityanath had earlier said that madrassas need to be modernised, and argued against closing them.