Madrasas to come under Education Ministry: PM

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday Madrasas would be placed under the purview of the Education Ministry. 

Following a meeting held yesterday at his office, the Prime Minister said the Education Ministry, together with the Muslim Religious Affairs Ministry, would regulate some of their activities. He said he discussed the matter with ministers representing the Muslim community and that they agreed to it.

The Prime Minister also asserted that approval would not be granted for a ‘Sharia’ university. “We have no power to authorise a Sharia university. 

We can only authorise degree-awarding institutions. It will be stipulated by law that this cannot be operated as a Sharia university,” he said, adding that Clause 9 (A) in the Universities Act should be amended for this purpose. 

Referring to the Bangladeshi law, he said such universities were considered private universities and that this law stipulated the admission of students regardless of their religious or caste differences. Meanwhile, he said the security situation in the country had improved and as a result requested parents to send their children back to school. 

Government MP Ashu Marasinghe who led a fact-finding mission to the Batticaloa Sharia university said the institution should be operated as a private university titled ‘Batticaloa Technology University.’