JEDDAH, 16 June 2007 — The Muslim Educational Society (MES) has played a significant role in changing the outlook of the Muslim community in Kerala toward modern education, says Mohammed Ashraf, the newly-elected president of the organization’s overseas unit in Riyadh.
“Muslims in the state were behind others in the field of education and had only three colleges and a number of schools when MES was established. Today MES runs 18 colleges and 26 CBSE schools in Kerala, including an engineering college and a medical college,” Ashraf said.
He said the percentage of girls in these colleges have increased from 16 to 40. “During the last five years, the Riyadh unit of MES distributed more than a million Indian rupees in scholarships,” he said. “We have a budget of 300,000 rupees for this year,” he added. Currently 40 students benefit from its scholarships.
The Riyadh unit, which was established in 1999, has been active in promoting educational awareness among the community, Ashraf said.
“We have made a commitment that no student, boy or girl, will discontinue studies for want of finance,” he added.
MES honors top students and their parents by giving annual Excellence Awards. The unit also organizes inter-school quiz and chess tournaments for nurturing the co-curricular talents of the students. “We also conduct symposiums, seminars and conferences highlighting the importance of education,” he said.
According to Ashraf, educational backwardness still remains a major hindrance for the Muslim community in India in their pursuit for social justice and adequate representation in government jobs.
“There is a lot of work for NGOs to do in this area,” he added. Back in Kerala, MES runs old age homes, orphanages, vocational training centers and a number of youth hostels.
