By Dr. Syed Ahmed, for TwoCircle.net,
Imphal: The Ascend Orb Academy (AoA) launched free coaching and allied scheme, sponsored by Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, for the minority students of Manipur.
The inaugural function, organized at Manipur Press Club, Imphal on December 17, 2012 was graced by Parliamentary Secretary for Minorities & Other Backward Classes (MOBC) & SCs and Sc. & Tech. Md. Amin Shah, Director (MOBC & SCs) Kh. Dineshchandra Singh and Project Director of MOBEDS Md. Salauddin Khan. The function was attended by Government officials and the students who are going to be enrolled for the scheme.
Parliamentary Secretary Md. Amin Shah speaking at the function
Giving the key-note address, Rafi Shah, senior associate-Partnership & Alliance outlined the objectives of the scheme as stated by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. He said, “The free coaching and allied scheme for minority communities introduced by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs aim to empower the minority communities, which are relatively disadvantaged section of society, by assisting them as well as those institutions working for them, towards enhancing their skills and capabilities to make them employable in industries, services and business sectors in addition to the Government sector. It has the in-built resilience to adapt itself to the market dynamics on a continuous basis so that the target groups are not deprived of the professional acumen demanded by the emerging market needs and opportunities for employment at domestic as well as international levels.”
Introducing AoA, Rafi Shah said, “The Academy is an emerging multi-disciplinary institute established in 2007 in Guwahati. The academy has taken up training and development, staffing, career counseling and consulting services. It has its presence in Manipur for the last one year.
The office of the Academy is at Singjamei, Imphal. It gives courses and services on IT, banking and finance, retail sales and marketing, soft life skills, career counseling, staffing and consulting.
In the last one year, the branch of the Academy in Manipur has placed retail and sales’ trainees in corporate like Jubilant Work, Pizza Hut and Urban Touch, organized two State level career counseling in partnership with Manipuri Muslim Online Forum, campus recruitment at GP Women’s College at Imphal for WIPRO IT with the permission of Directorate of University and Higher Education, Government of Manipur, trainees recruitment drive for Indus Valley Ayurvedic Center, Mysore; and free training for poor minority students in IT under the Academy’s Corporate Social Responsibility. The Academy is keeping the target of giving skills in different categories to 1 lakh learners in 10 years.”
Rafi Shah further said the Academy is now authorized under the free coaching and Allied scheme of Ministry of Minority Affairs to train 50 youths in computer science and technology in 6 months. After an advertisement, 120 students applied for the course. We have short listed 50 after a counseling session, he added.
In his speech, R.K. Dineshchandra Singh said the State is facing a crisis of unemployment. The number of educated unemployed youth has reached 7 lakhs. It has become a great concern for the State Government. In such a situation it is necessary that the educated youths get skills to get into the highly competitive job market. Almost all the minority institutions in State, like Little Flower School or the Nirmalabas School, are highly successful.
Md. Amin Shah, MOBC Director (with the cap) and other officials of MOBC & AoA
“I, therefore, hope that this Academy will also run successfully and complete the course in the stipulated time as fixed by the Ministry of Minority Affairs,” he added.
Giving his speech, Md. Salauddin Khan said such a coaching scheme would make possible the Muslim students from poor families in equipping themselves those skills which would help them in getting descend jobs.
Addressing the gathering, Md. Amin Shah emphasized the need of Muslim youths to have skills in different trades to make them selves employable. He expressed hope that the course on Computer Science which is going to be offered by the Academy to its first batch of students under the scheme would help them in shaping their future.