There have been three major attempts at madrassa reform in Karnataka in recent years. The first one was during the period of S.M. Krishna as Chief Minister and H. Vishwanath as the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education.
Apart from recommendations like the introduction of languages and science, the committee made suggestions like increased State support in terms of grants and infrastructure development. However, it was not implemented in earnest, say some community leaders.
The second attempt was made by the Siddharamaiah government in 2013. Following a request by the State government, an NLSIU committee prepared a report on modernising the curriculum. “We pointed out that most madrasas were following a 400-year-old curriculum and that it needed to be revamped to suit the needs of contemporary challenges, said M.A. Siraj, a member of the committee. Among its recommendations were the introduction of multi-lingual teaching, science and mathematics in primary and secondary levels and STEM and liberal arts subjects including law, at higher levels.
