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           | Patna, Jan 25 :  After school going girls, girls studying at Madrassas (Islamic seminaries) in  Bihar would also be provided free bicycles by the state government, official  sources Sunday said.The government plans to  distribute bicycles free of cost to girls attending Madrassas across the state,  and has approved funds for the purpose, the sources said. Last year, girls  studying till Class 9 in government schools were gifted bicycles.
 
 About 4,000 Madrassa going girls, who are student of Fauqania (equivalent to  class 10), would be provided bicycles under the Chief Minister's Cycle Project,  which would enable them to reach the Madrassas on their own, particularly in  rural areas.
 
 Madrassa board chairman, Maulana Ejaz Ahmad told IANS that the board had asked  all the district education officers to prepare a list of girl students of tenth  standard in Madrassas so they could be given the bicycles.
 
 At present, the fauqania course is available in 150 of the total 1,119  government-run madrassas in the state.
 
 There are over 4,000 madrassas in Bihar,  including the seminaries where the salary of the staff is paid by the state  government. There are 2,459 unaided madrassas and hundreds of others operating  at different places.
 
 According to the first ever status paper brought out by the board, there are  only 32 madrassas for girls under the government-aided category and 576  madrassas in the unaided category.
 
 Some madrassas in Bihar have begun modernising  their education system by introducing computers and science subjects. They even  encourage students to join the National Cadet Corps (NCC) or the Scouts and  Guides.
   
      
     (IANS)
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