By PIB
New Delhi: Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh has said that there is near unanimity in reforms in Madarasa Education. As there are some differences on some issues including issues related to Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) , a Committee has been appointed under the chairmanship of Minister of State for HRD, Shri M.A.A Fatimi. This Committee will submit its report within two months. Shri Arjun Singh was addressing media after the conclusion of the meeting of National Monitoring Committee for Minorities Education(NMCME), here on Wednesday.
The 3rd Meeting of the National Monitoring Committee for Minorities Education was held under the Chairmanship of Arjun Singh. The two Ministers of State M.A.A. Fatimi and Mrs. Purandeshwari were also present. After inaugurating the meeting Arjun Singh briefly outlined the major activities taken up by the Ministry for the educational development of minorities. Presentations were made by the Chairman UGC, Acting Chairman, AICTE, Chairman NIOS, Joint Secretary SSA and Joint Secretary, School Education. Prof. Prithipal Singh Kapur gave the report of the work done by the Standing Committee of the NMCME.
For encouraging minority education, AICTE gives a 20% relaxation in the processing fees from applications for setting up institutions as well as in the amount required to be kept in a joint Fixed Deposit. The Council informed the Committee that in its different Boards/Committees of AICTE the representation of the Minority Community has been ensured with as many as 18 such members, including two Chairpersons belonging to Minority Community on the bodies of the Council. There are about 118 Experts from the minorities who are in the Directory of Experts of the AICTE nominated by the Council on the Expert Committees which go for inspection of institutions seeking affiliation to AICTE.
The UGC has directed all universities and institutions to associate a member from the Minority Community in the various Selection Committees. Out of 370 proposed degree colleges to be set up in Eleventh Plan, 88 Muslim concentration districts will be covered.
A new centrally sponsored scheme is proposed for assistance to polytechnics which ensures that each Muslim Minority Concentration District has a polytechnic for which non recurring expenditure is proposed to be made available.
Out of 4707 degree level technical institutions, 377 are minority institutions out of which 51 were sanctioned by AICTE in 2007-08. Total intake of minority institutions is 88259 at present.
UGC has appointed a committee to suggest a comprehensive policy for fair share in various schemes for minorities and new guidelines are being developed for the implementation of its schemes during the 11th Plan.
In compliance with the NMCME’s decisions at the last meeting, training of Urdu medium teachers for modern subjects has been started at the Urdu Academies established by AMU, JMI and MANUU. This effort has been applauded by the Committee. The NMCME drew attention to the need for effective implementation of the schemes intended for the benefit of the minorities at the field level for which it was essential that all State Governments were committed equally towards the educational advancement of the minorities.
The NMCME was also informed that 18 per cent of funds under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan have been targeted to districts with substantial Muslim population in 2007-08.
About 270 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidhyalays which are residential school for girls at upper primary level have been sanctioned in educationally backward blocks with substantial Muslim population.
It was pointed out that there is a strong desire in many Madarsas to get into the main stream of secular education and new schemes of modernization and infrastructure have been launched to strengthen teaching and infrastructure in minority institutions.