Uttarakhand has decided to replace Friday with Sunday as the weekly holiday for madrasas covered by its new minority education framework, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Wednesday, linking the move to the principle of a uniform system across educational institutions.“We have already introduced a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. There should be a uniform system for everyone. All educational institutions should operate in the same direction, and we are working towards that goal,” Dhami said at the sidelines of an event on Wednesday.The change is part of a broader restructuring of minority education in Uttarakhand, where the government has abolished the statutory Madrasa Education Board and replaced it with the Uttarakhand State Authority for Minority Education (USAME).Established under the Uttarakhand Minority Education Act, 2025, the authority regulates institutions run by six notified minority communities — Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis.Secretary of Minority Welfare Parag Madhukar Dhakate said the change in weekly holidays followed the shift to a common education system.Also Read | Action against 5 more madrasas in Uttarakhand as new education regime takes shape; tally reaches 20“Madrasas are affiliated with the Education Department, and they have received approval from there. The Education Department’s syllabus and system are being applied to all madrasas,” Dhakate told media on Wednesday.“Earlier, there were 452 madrasas registered with the Madrasa Board. Now, more than 200 madrasas have closed, and about 200 are affiliated with the Education Department,” he said.Story continues below this adUnder the new framework, institutions must obtain affiliation from the Uttarakhand Board of School Education and recognition from USAME. The government has said the system is intended to bring minority-run institutions under common academic and administrative standards.Also Read | Uttarakhand scraps Madrasa Board, now gets common authority for all minority educational institutionsSources said, “Earlier too, Friday was never a declared holiday; madrasas would just allow children in the second half of the day to proceed and perform the namaz…”A precedent in AssamUttarakhand is not the first state to make such a change. In December 2016, the Assam government directed government-run and provincialised madrasas to remain open on Fridays and observe Sunday as the weekly holiday, ending a practice that dated back several decades.The Assam government argued that uniform working hours and holidays should apply to government educational institutions.Story continues below this adThe decision drew objections from Muslim organisations and madrasa teachers. The All Assam Madrassa Teachers and Employees’ Association asked the government to withdraw the change, arguing that Friday holidays were a longstanding practice and that the rights of minority educational institutions under Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution had to be considered.The then Assam Education Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said students could be allowed time to attend Friday prayers but the entire day should not be a holiday. The government implemented the change.A similar proposal was considered in Uttar Pradesh in December 2022. The state Madrasa Education Board discussed moving the weekly holiday from Friday to Sunday, but representatives of the madrasa teachers’ association opposed it. They argued that Friday was kept free to accommodate preparations for and attendance at congregational prayers. The proposal was not implemented at that time, and the state’s 2023 holiday calendar retained Friday as the weekly day off.A wider overhaul of minority educationThe weekly holiday change comes months after Uttarakhand dismantled its Madrasa Education Board, which had previously regulated 452 registered madrasas. The new law extends the minority education framework beyond Muslim institutions to schools run by other notified minority communities.Story continues below this adThe Bill was passed by the state Assembly in August 2025 amid opposition protests. When the Governor gave his assent later that year, the government said the new authority would bring transparency and accountability to the recognition of minority educational institutions.But the legislation had also prompted concerns from Muslim organisations. Khurshid Ahmed, state secretary of Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, told The Indian Express in August 2025 that the organisation feared the changes could affect constitutionally protected rights to establish and administer educational institutions and to practise religion. He said the organisation would examine the legislation and consider a legal challenge.The concerns were not limited to the weekly holiday. The new framework requires institutions to secure formal recognition and school-board affiliation, while the authority has powers to inspect institutions and withdraw recognition for violations of prescribed conditions. The legislation also provides for a common regulatory framework for institutions run by minority communities other than Muslims.The government has maintained that the changes are intended to improve educational standards and ensure that students receive modern instruction alongside their cultural and religious education.Story continues below this adThe transition has also raised questions about the status of institutions that operated under the previous system but have not obtained recognition under the new one.Dhakate earlier said more than 200 of the 452 madrasas previously registered with the board had closed and that about 200 were now affiliated with the Education Department. The change in weekly holidays applies to institutions covered by the new framework.