A new madrasa aimed at combining religious education with modern academic learning was inaugurated through the laying of its foundation stone yesterday at Gangkul Para village in Belabo Union of Belabo upazila, Narsingdi.The institution is being established on around six gondas of land. Mohammad Hazrat Ali will be responsible for running the madrasa, with Nazim Uddin and Swapan assisting in its management.Madrasa founder Kayes Ahmed Selim said the institution would place emphasis on religious education alongside Bangla and English.“The aim is to provide students with opportunities to acquire both religious knowledge and the skills needed to keep pace with the changing world,” he said.Selim said proficiency in Bangla and English was increasingly important for students alongside religious education. The madrasa would therefore seek to integrate modern education into its religious curriculum, he added.Mohammad Hazrat Ali, the founding director of the madrasa, said the institution would also focus on developing students’ moral and human values.“We want to help students become capable of adapting to the modern world while maintaining ethical and humanitarian values,” he said.The foundation-laying ceremony was attended by Mohammad Hazrat Ali, Nazim Uddin, Swapan, journalist Dulal Sarker and other local dignitaries. The organisers said the madrasa would offer Bangla and English along with religious studies once its academic activities begin. They also said importance would be given to discipline, morality and the development of students as responsible members of society.