A/HRC/31/18/Add.2 C. Madrasas 67. A significant number of students attend Islamic schools, generally known as madrasas. The madrasa system is divided into two branches: “Alia madrasas” and “Qaumi madrasas”. Both include an emphasis on Islamic teaching, i.e. the Koran, Hadith and other religious subjects. The Ministry of Education has integrated the Alia madrasas into the national curriculum and has furthermore established training programmes for madrasa teachers. 68. Those madrasas that comply with the national curriculum educate their students in various disciplines, including natural sciences, social sciences, mathematics, languages (Bangla, English and Arabic) and information and communications technology. Many of the madrasas coeducate boys and girls, who sit together in the same classroom. During his visits to Alia madrasas in Dhaka and Bandarban, the Special Rapporteur had discussions with principals and teachers and enjoyed some spontaneous interaction with students in classrooms. 69. While perhaps half of the madrasas follow the national curriculum, a large number of Qaumi madrasas, with their own curriculum, continue to operate outside of the Ministry of Education. Members of religious minorities have frequently expressed their fears that the madrasas, in particular Qaumi madrasas, promote extremist views, such as stigmatizing all non-Muslims as “infidels”. The spread of madrasas, in particular those not operating in line with the national curriculum, seems to be a main source of anxiety among religious minorities. The Government affirms that it is committed to gradually offering a uniform curriculum for all students in the country. D. Other religious schools 70. Other religious communities also run their own religious schools, sometimes connected with dormitories and orphanages. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts region, the Special Rapporteur visited a school operated by the Buddhist community, in which students from Hindu, Buddhist and Christian backgrounds — mostly from indigenous families — learn together. The Christian community also runs quite a number of schools, usually called “missionary schools”, all of which follow the national curriculum. The vast majority of students in the Christian schools come from non-Christian religious backgrounds. Some interlocutors complained that the Christian communities face increasing problems in preserving their internal autonomy, as local administration reportedly interferes arbitrarily in the selection of principals or other governing positions concerning those schools. E. Interreligious dialogue 71. In 1999, the University of Dhaka established the Department of World Religions and Culture, in which students learn about various religions, their common features and values, their relevant differences, and the ways to nurture interreligious relations. The professors and lecturers expressed their commitment to promoting modern interpretations of the sources and traditions of various religions, thereby encouraging reforms, not least in the sphere of gender equality. Some of the professors have also served as advisors to the Ministry of Education. A few years ago, the Department also founded a centre for interreligious and intercultural dialogue, which pursues more practical projects concerning interreligious communication in Bangladesh. 14