By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani is not only a religious and spiritual personality but one who has devoted a good part of his life to educational development of the Muslim community. He is running several institutions through Rahmani Foundation. He talks to Mumtaz Alam Falahi of TwoCircles.net about his proposal for educational infrastructure under central government’s Rs 100-crore scheme for each Minority Concentration District in the country.
Rs 100-crore scheme for Minority Concentration District (MCD)
The Government of India has decided to spend Rs 100 crore in each of 90 MCDs in the country on multi-sectoral development of the area. The Centre is planning to spend, through state governments, on education, health, sanitation and some socio-economic programs in each MCD. The scheme is good and if the amount is fully spent in each MCD it will benefit the local people including the minority community and others.
The central government had asked the state governments to send their proposals for projects in MCD by November 30. The state governments including Bihar have sent their propsoals.
State government’s proposals
The state governments have half-heartedly prepared the proposals and sent to the centre. Many state governments like Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa have sent the proposals without following the procedure set by the centre. For example, in Bihar District Magistrates in seven MCDs in the state sent their proposal to the state government and those proposals were sent to centre without having a look at them and without getting approval from the state-level approval committee. The centre had asked state to form such a committee headed by chief secretary. Its purpose was that IAS officers in the committee will go deep into the scheme and talk to the chief secretary before finalizing the scheme and sending to the centre. But this was not followed and proposals were not exposed to the committee. And same is the case with other states like Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa.
While the centre in its guidelines had given education top priority no MCD in Bihar has sent any proposal for education development of the community in the district. The DMs have sent proposals for bridge, road and medical centre. Some have sent projects for construction of community centres, musfir khanas and pukka latrine. Such projects are already undertaken by state governments. If this MCD scheme is also directed to such projects, there will be duplication of work and its purpose will be lost.
Central government and minority education
The Centre wants educational uplift of the minority community as it is backward. Present situation is that out of one lakh Muslim students who take admission in schools only 19 go up to Master Degree level. The Centre wants to focus on education in MCD so that the community can progress educationally.
The centre had already felt that for minority education some special steps need to be taken. For this purpose it established Maulana Azad Education Foundation so that educational infrastructure of minority institutions can be developed.
The centre has also felt that minority institutions give more results and excellence than general institutions that’s why such institutions have been patronized by the Maulana Azad Education Foundation or other agencies.
His proposal
In this MCD scheme, at least 50% of the fund (Rs 100 crore) can be spent on education. The centre’s guidelines say that no more than 50% can be spent on a single scheme. But guidelines can be changed. However, if the government gets ready to spend Rs 50 crore on education in each MCD then I have some proposals for the development of educational infrastructure.
Muslim NGOs working in the field of education should be involved for the purpose. If such NGOs are willing to provide land then the Maulana Azad Education Foundation should be authorized to spend the 50% of the fund on the educational development there. In each MCD there should be a residential school (from nursery to +2) for boys and girls separately. There should be one polytechnic and one ITI institutes also.
For educational infrastructure 20-40% of Rs 50 crore can be earmarked. And those NGOs should be assigned the task to run the institution. As it would be difficult for NGOs to run such big institutions in the beginning, a specified amount of the fund should be cleared for teachers’ salary for 3-5 years. After 5 years the schools will run on their own.
The 50% of the Rs 100-crore fund should be sanctioned for education in an MCD where the minority community constitutes around 20% of the population but where they are 35% the fund and scheme should be doubled and where they are 50% or above that should be tripled.
Will this remove educational backwardness of the minority community in an MCD?
No, but it will usher in a movement among people to open schools in every village dominated by Muslims. Such big institutions will instill enthusiasm in people.
Why funding on education through Maulana Azad Education Foundation
It is an established central government agency which has been involved in developing infrastructure of minority institutions. It has spent huge amounts on such projects. It is a credible agency. It has its norms and work experience. If a new agency is chosen at this moment then norms for it will be drafted and approved and all this will take a lot of time.
His efforts to press the government to spend more on education
While education was on the top of the lists in the centre’s guidelines, no proposal about it was sent to the centre. I told the Bihar state government that Rahmani Foundation was ready to provide lands and run such educational institutions but they did not hear. Now I want to put the proposals before the PM, UPA chairperson, Minority Affairs Minister and HRD Minister and all concerned.
As the scheme is being supervised by Minority Affairs Minister I have written a letter to him in this context and am ready to meet him.
What is most disturbing aspect of the scheme is that the concerned community has not been taken into confidence at any level, neither by the centre nor the state. No community leader or even Muslim officers were included in the Bihar state level approval committee.