New Delhi : Close on the heels of Sachar Committee projecting a sorry plight of education for Muslims, plans are on the anvil to set up a Central Madarassa Board to modernise the education imparted in Islamic schools across the country.

The issue would be brought up at a meeting convened by National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) here today which would also deliberate on introduction of modern education in Madarassa.

"The proposal is that the Central Madarassa Board on the pattern of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) should be set up through an act of parliament and it should be an autonomous body without any interference from the government," NCMEI chairman Jutice M S A Siddiqui told reporters.

Affiliation to this board would be optional or voluntary, he said adding that there was consensus among Madarassa boards in various states and stakeholders on the introduction of modern education in Madarassa.

Rejecting opposition to a Central Madarassa Board, Siddiqui said that a "silent majority of Muslims is with the commission". The Central Madarassa Board was not going to control any State Madarassa Board.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had earlier rejected the idea of creating a Central Madarassa Board.