Few of the Muslim MPs have demanded opening of separate IITs and IIMs for Muslims
A senior HRD official, present at the meeting, said, “The MPs said since IITs and IIMs have less than 2 per cent of Muslim students, the HRD Ministry should create IITs and IIMs exclusively for Muslim children.”
Well the big question is what can those institutions of higher learning do to the conditions of Muslims in India today. Muslims today are lacking in basic education. For some reason or the other modern education was termed secular and anti-Muslim and thus abandoned. This step over the years has weakened the Muslims educationally and thus financially. Religious leaders never realised the importance of modern education and anyone trying to transgress the boundary was termed a ‘kafir’. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was castigated by the religious schools for his attempt to start a Muslim university which today is one of the most important centers of learning. Worldly education was always a part of the curriculum of the Madarsas.
Farsi was previously taught, during the time of Mughals, because it was the language in which the business of the state was conducted. But sadly over the years the curriculum hasn’t been revised. But then how many Muslims go to Madarsas, just 4%! Its not about the Madarsas but its about the mentality of people which was highly biased against the modern education just because the religious leaders rejected it as anti-Muslim. They never realised that this rejected might have serious consequences later. The partition also was a serious blow to the economic condition of Muslims in the north (interestingly the economic and social condition of Muslims remain far above than that of their North Indian counterparts).
Kerala’s model should be a source of inspiration to the Muslims.
In 2001, only 55 per cent of India’s 71 million Muslim males were literate, compared to 64.5 percent for the country’s 461 million non-Muslim males. But in Kerala, the literacy rate for both sexes, is 100 per cent. What is even more impressive is that the first district in the country to become fully literate is Malappuram, a Muslim majority district where the community constitutes 67 per cent of the population.
A survey conducted in Kerala in 1991 showed that Muslims constituted 27.6 per cent of lower primary students, 27.78 per cent of upper primary students and 17.9 in high schools. Roughly, 25 per cent of students up to the secondary level are from the Mus lim community. It is a fair reflection of their demographic percentage in the state. Even more encouraging, there is no gender gap in the figures.
Other south Indian states have fared much better
It has been a similar scenario for Muslims in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, despite Muslims being only 6 per cent of the population, they are now major stakeholders in private sector education with 27 degree colleges, 12 engineering colleges, 13 polytechnics, and 12 higher secondary schools. In Andhra Pradesh, Muslims across the state run about 1,000 secondary and high schools, 35 engineering colleges, two medical colleges, 12 nursing colleges, 13 pharmacy colleges, three hotel management colleges and 30 arts and science colleges. Karnataka Muslims run three medical colleges, six dental colleges, 30 arts and science colleges, 15 MBA institutes, 10 MCA institutes, 50 teacher education centers, 12 nursing colleges and 20 pharmacy colleges.
Syed Iqbal Hasnain in the HT, 19th December 2006.
Coming to the demands of the MPs. My basic argument is that education should be promoted at the lower level and merit should alone be the criterion of admission at higher institutes of learning. And plus are all the achievers only from IITs or the IIMs? No! You need sound basic education to excel in life. You can do without IITs.
Reservations, as far as I can see, cannot be the solution to the problem of backwardness. They alienate the reserved community. The initiative has to come from within the community. The Government should make sure that inane inclusions like these
On Rajasthan, the textbook says that certain minority groups living in the border districts of Barmer and Jaislamer, who have relatives in Pakistan are engaged in anti national activities, should be monitored carefully.
On Mahatma Gandhi, the political science textbook says that at first he was a supporter of the British. It was only later that he turned against the empire.
should be crushed with force. Changes like these create a feeling of being a victim in the minds of Muslims which creates a divide between the communities. I do not support exclusive schools and colleges for a particular community because they just are a blow to the secular ethics of this country.
Good post. And the same principle applies to other backward and downtrodden sections of the country. The need of the hour is to provide access to quality education upto the high school level to all children, irrespective of their social or economic status. After that, let the students compete for higher education, jobs etc. and let the most capable students rise. This system will ensure that all sections of the population have equal opportunities, without any feeling of discrimination or illwill between them.
Instead, our Governments have paid lip service to the development of “weaker sections”, providing reservations to a few at the very top, who do not even often deserve it and excluding the vast majority of these sections simply because they do not have access to quality education at the school level.
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Sharique,
As I point out here, only 10 of the 50 Muslim MPs attended the meeting that made these demands. It looks to me a case of the HRD minister of state inviting his clique to make some seductive statements ahead of the UP elections.
And the Indian Express duly over-sensationalised the issue.
Girish,
Yeah exactly. All these reservation drama is for political advantage. Initially the reservation were only for a fixed period of time but later they were never terminated because the congress feared that it might lose support. And as I have pointed out in my post on my blog that these reservation just create a rift among the students. The general category students always curse the reserved ones and feel victimized and on the other hand the reserved candidates find it hard to cope up. So the best way is to make merit the lone criterion for admission to the higher institution of learning.
Nitin,
I do agree that only 10 of the MPs made the claim and it could be to garner Muslim support in the UP elections. As politicians always do. But my post was necessarily not to point to out their demand. I wanted to bring the evil of reservations which might be going on the minds of Muslims. Many feel that reservations are the only way to uplift the Muslims but they don’t realise that this is further going to alienate them.
And as confused pointed out, in the comment on that post, that the other 40 might just drop in.
The muslim community does not need reservation in IITs and IIMs. Rather it needs support from the governement in the process of recognition of their schools as there are many schools run by muslims which do not get recognized. IF there is a muslim predominated area it is sure to have poor or no support from the municipality and a high probability of the absence of any government school. The madrasas unlike popular perception are the last efforts of the community to organize some kind of education for their children. If a muslim goes for finance he will have to run from pillar to post before he finally gets a government loan if at all he does get it.
However we now have to plan with the assumption that we will not get any help from any govt. We have to motivate the community to not adopt a defeatist attitude and work towards acquring education. Muslims need to build up their own micro-credit organizations which need to work honestly to finance their entreprenurial efforts.
Lo! and behold,
Here are the new cronies of Balbir Punj, the project manager to defame Muslim and Islam. It is a fact that only 4% mulims go to madarsa and Education through Urdu made me what i do with Indianmuslims.in. There is no whiter lies like the taliban one when Talibans who are madrasa educated were flying MiG 21s of against the Northern Alliance. Now, you can’t have it after eating the cake, right. Either you accept that they do know fighter flying or the truth is unknown.
The claim for IITs and IIMs is not very deep. Is not the course whicha re offered by IGNOU and symbiosis Poona same as offered the IIMs and same is true for the numerous NIT ane Engg colleges. The hype is to drain the so called brain because the Indian live very dirty though they take daily bath, but I’m sure their underpants must not have been getting wet, the way the daily bathers take bath. You take it, they really use lot of water but being fundamentally uneducated they are, we can’t help. Thus these papers users from IITs and IIMs are sought after. The 2-3% good bathers (read Muslims) may or may not suffice, so this hype. I know how Indian drive on roads
All those who calim for reservation seats with respect to religion and cast clearly shows the sign that they are intellectually weak. They cant stand the competition…….
Forget the IITs and the IIMs… Sachar Committee has identified muslim-majority districts (80). Why does NOT the Government open Quality High Schools KG-X in those 80 districts… what is the obstruction ? Honestly, there is no need to do anything for muslims. An Iftar Party and a Mushaira are enough… cuz basically it has come down to this : “We do not need your votes”. The BJP says it openly…. the Congress is ideologically impoverished (today it is only a tool to praise a family). It does not have the leadership like Nehru to stand up and explain that secularism is good for the whole of India. It is not meant to protect or pamper muslims. It is meant to hold India together. But look at the real face of the Congress in Gujarat. Congress today is the B-Team of RSS. (The A team being BJP). The coming 50 years would be crucial for the muslims of India. So, they prefer the lesser evil (Congress). BJP is riding the fantasy-ride. In the end, the Hindu Taliban (RSS) will destroy India… Hindutva will kill Hinduism.
We do have seperate technical institutions, schools, colleges, scholarships, gender and religion based discrimination, job reservations based on religion – in Pakistan. Why do we need that in secular democratic India?
Its a seperate matter that we need many more schools and colleges – co-educational and secular where any form of discrimination apaart from that based on professional and academic merit is illegal.
Muslims have shown great organization skill – look at zakir naik. they can surely open quality minority institutions where quota does not apply where they need it – if they have the will.
let the govt open schools and colleges across the country for everyone.govt must not open institutions for ppl based on religion, not only its against the spirit of equality, history shows that these institutions will get politicized and fail to achieve the basic purpose. want secular education – go to a secular institution.
Unfortunately i read in the paper the other day., they are sending some LUNCH (Food) to the Madrasas. New found love… hahaha. Elections are 3 months round the corner…. Muslims kee yaad aayee hai ? Hayn ??? Majboori ka naam sabr. The Govt. must establish new QUALITY High Schools for poor muslim kids… but it seems the Govt. is inclined just to white-wash the old mosques… and send the Lunch (for 3-4 months only). Who knows., the food under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan would be withdrawn after the elections. Kaam Nikal Gaya… Dabaa Ke Chal Diye… See you after 5 yrs.. hahaha.
Congress is the lesser evil., but its insincerety is stark. Half measures wont do. and the Congress cannot take full measures.. out of fear or antagonising the Hindutva Brigade. That is the reality.
When we talk of unity and integrity, having separate institutions for sepaarte communities may negate efforts made in this direction.
Rather, the way forward is for all communities to work together on a footing of equality, so that the entire nation progresses together.
Ensuring world class primary education for every Indian child should be our goal. With India’s growing economic strength and the internet & communication technologies at our disposal, this goal is very much achievable.
There is a huge difference in the motivation and capabilities of children who receive best class convent education and children who receive second-rate education in government run schools. This gap should be quickly narrowed down.
Otherwise, there will be a huge opportunity cost for India – when several millions of talented young Indians will not be able to realize their potential in their lives.
Muslims, especially, should take the lead in this direction. Muslim children are especially vulnerable to absenteeism and insufficient attention towards primary education. This is a far more important goal than ensuring separate IITs or IIMs.
A building is as strong as its foundations. Merely putting whitewash on its walls will not save a building from collapsing.