RIYADH, 5 October 2006 — A major non-governmental organization (NGO) has launched an ambitious educational project to build a network of quality schools in the poverty-stricken areas of north India. “The project currently focuses on the educational problems faced by hundreds of thousands of Muslim children in the districts of Agra, Aligarh and Hathras,” said Dr. Nafees Ahmed, chief of the Aligarh-based Noorul Uloom Education Society (NUES), here yesterday.
Nafees, while calling on his compatriots in Saudi Arabia to support his initiative, said, “11 schools including two junior high schools and five primary schools in the three districts are being run by the NUES at present.”
Nafees also met and discussed the proposals of the project with Dr. Saleh Al-Wohaibi, secretary-general of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) in Riyadh yesterday. During his stay in the Kingdom, Nafees has planned to meet prominent Indians to generate funds for the project. Referring to the existing schools, the NUES secretary said, “We have established the schools with a major emphasis on teaching children the basic skills of reading, writing, language, mathematics and Islamic studies.” Social programs, health and physical recreation also play important roles in the NEUS education program, he said, adding, “The doors of the schools are open for children of all caste, creed and religion, but special preference is given to Muslim students.”
Nafees added that education is provided free of charge. “The introduction of free primary education has led to a very substantial increase in the number of pupils going to our primary schools but this increase has also brought major infrastructure problems,” he said.
“Hence, a call has been made for continuing support from major Saudi NGOs and Indian community members,” said Nafees.
Referring to the future plans and policies, he said, “A policy framework has been developed by NUES to cater to the educational needs and to draw out priorities in terms of expanding the schools’ network and infrastructure.”
The NUES has also embarked on a plan to set up a secondary school for which all these 11 institutions will serve as feeders. “A plan is also in the pipeline to set up a few teachers’ training institutes before expanding the school network countrywide,” he said.
