RIYADH, 1 June 2006 — The Indian Minister of Human Resource Development Arjun Singh has said that the Congress party-led government has undertaken a major plan of establishing educational facilities in 244 districts in India that focuses on the needs of minorities. The move, he said, would greatly help Indian Muslims, who constitute more than 12 percent of the Indian population.
The minister said that a monitoring committee had been set up to evaluate the status of minority education and identify problems, which hamper government efforts in boosting education among minorities. He said that no country could boast of its development if its sizeable minorities lag behind.
The Indian minister touched a number of issues confronting Muslims and spoke in favor of the minority character of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), quotas for the children of non-resident Indians (NRIs) in Indian educational institutions and salient features of the education policy that is being pursued by his government.
The Indian minister is currently visiting the Kingdom in a move to boost education cooperation between Riyadh and New Delhi. Referring to the new educational facilities being set up in districts with substantial minority population, Arjun said that “we are implementing the scheme under which we are also setting up Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools) and the Novodaya Vidyalayas in the Special Focus Districts.
“These are two important developments at the primary and secondary levels in 244 districts.” These districts have been selected on account of their sizeable minority populations.
He said, “We still face great difficulties in terms of giving recognition to minority institutions and also in relation to the opening of minority educational facilities. And hence, we have now set up a judicial commission to look into these matters.”
Asked about the new debate raised by the recent judgment of Allahabad High Court, which stripped AMU of its minority character, he said, “The status quo still exists since the decision of the Allahabad court has been put on hold by the Supreme Court. Let us wait and watch for the top court’s judgment. We hope that when the judgment is finally given by the Supreme Court, then this matter will be settled once and for all.”
Among minorities, the enrolment rate of Muslims at educational institutes is 16 percent lower than other minorities. Muslim graduates account for a mere 2.3 percent of graduates compared to eight percent among Hindus and 13 percent among Christians.
Asked about new plans and policies for Muslims’ education and the demands made by a section of Muslim leadership for reservations for Muslim, he said, “The minority education has a very important place in the new education policy that was formulated in India back in 1986 by the late Rajiv Gandhi, the then prime minister.”
“That policy is still in existence with provisions for minority education covering the Muslim population,” he said.
