By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net
Mumbai: The students of Aqsa Women’s Degree College (AWDC) in Bhiwandi now find their future completely dependent on the Bombay High Court verdict on whether or not Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackeray (SNDT) Women’s University, Mumbai should give affiliation to the college.
It has been about three years since SNDT promised to grant affiliation to AWDC but the college is yet to get affiliation.
‘After assurance of affiliation for Arts and Science faculties from the University we gave admission to students in 2006. Presently, there are around 250 students, mostly from poor families of the neighboring villages, in both the departments. Their future is at stake as SNDT University still did not give affiliation to us,’ Oneza Tanweer Farid, Principal of AWDC, told TwoCircles.net.
‘I was going to apply for post-graduation in English Literature, but I can’t since I won’t be able to clear my third year exams, ‘ said Mahwash Patel, an arts student.
Established in May 2005, Aqsa Women’s Degree College as per the instructions of SNDT Women’s University forwarded an application on 31st October that year for starting college with the faculties of Arts and Science from the academic year June 2006.
‘SNDT collected Rs 2 lakh in fee; one lakh each for Arts and Science, from AWDC, assured of the affiliation and permitted to go ahead with the admission process of students from the academic year June 2006,’ said Mrs. Oneza.
It was later known that in the year the Maharashtra government had declined to give permission for starting any new college in Maharashtra for Arts, Science and Commerce. A letter dated 14th September 2006 in this regard was forwarded by SNDT Women’s University to Aqsa Women’s Degree College.
Letter from the Maharashtra government
‘Being a minority college AWDC approached the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (Delhi) on 18th April 2007 which instructed the SNDT Women’s University and the state Higher and Technical Education Department to grant affiliation to AWDC from the academic year June 2006,’ told Oneza.
Interestingly, in the subsequent visit of the college a Local Inquiry Committee (LIC) of the University consisting Vice Chancellor Dr Mantha and the Controller of Examination Dr. Gabhe gave verbal promise of affiliation but later the very committee submitted a letter with the Higher & Technical Education Department with certain points about the AWDC and asked the government to guide them.
Making an exception to the instruction of not giving permission for any new Arts, Science or Commerce college in the academic year 2006 the Higher & Technical Education Department issued its final order for granting affiliation to the AWDC. Mrs. Oneza told, ‘On December 15, 2008 the Department instructed the SNDT to give affiliation to Aqsa Women’s Degree College from the academic year June 2006 in the faculties of Arts and Science but the University did not implement the order.’
The letter from the Higher & Technical Department of Mantaralya, Mumbai instructs the Chancellor of the SNDT Women’s University to act for the affiliation of the AWDC as instructed earlier by the National Commission of Minorities Institutions.
Letter from SNDT University
Mrs. Oneza, angry with the University’s attitude busted, ‘I am surprised why the persons crying for educational backwardness especially among Muslim girls create hurdles when it comes to their academic uplift. We have been trying to meet the SNDT Vice Chancellor but she is not available. There is no reason behind this but that AWDC belongs to minorities.’
Neelam, a student of Aqsa Women’s Degree College said, ‘What SNDT has done is unfair. It should fulfill its promise.’
Now, the matter is in the Bombay High Court and its verdict will be final in this regard. Recently, the students of Aqsa Women’s Degree College in the leadership of principal Oneza had held a dharna at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, nearly 50 km away from Bhiwandi. They later handed over a memorandum to the director of the SNDT administration Madhuri Chheda who said, ‘We want that college be granted affiliation. Since the matter is in the court we cannot say anything in this regard.’
Quraishi Farshin, a student of the Aqsa College at the dharna said that SNDT was playing with our future. She said that SNDT not only should grant affiliation to the college but it should give special permission to the final year B.A. and B.Sc. students to appear for the final exam.
Aqsa Women’s Degree College is one of the many academic institutions run by the Aqsa Education Society. Under the society which has been active for more than 30 years scores of institutions from pre-primary schools up to graduation level colleges are run and almost 6000 female students are benefiting from them. In Bhiwandi as told by Oneza, besides AWDC, GM Momin Women’s College and DNN College, besides others, also offer undergraduate courses to women.
[All photos by TwoCircles.net]