By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Aligarh : Vice President of India, Mohammad Hamid Ansari has urged the Muslim community in the field of education to “emulate and adapt the initiatives taken by other communities in creative ventures independent of Government agencies”.
Inaugurating the first World Summit of AMU Alumni at Aligarh Muslim University here at Aligarh on Saturday, Hamid Ansari, who is himself an alumnus of AMU and also a former Vice-Chancellor of the university, urged the Muslim community to ‘seek equity, not concessions’ from government. He warned the community that failure to participate in India’s ‘growth story’ will lead to its marginalization and as such to save itself from such a situation it should introspect.
Ansari regretted that “we did not appreciate the need for organized philanthropy for public purposes.”
Stressing the need for female literacy he made a strong plea for launching a campaign for female education as it is a must for educating new generation.
Meanwhile, about Rs. 2.4 crore was pledged by the old boys on the first day in the first technical session after the inaugural function to donate to the Alumni foundation for the proposed targeted corpus of Rs. 100 crores. AMU Vice Chancellor Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis told this correspondent that by Sunday evening tomorrow about Rs. 10 crores are expected to be committed for the development of AMU.
Addressing a gathering of over 500 Aligarh Muslim University alumni from as many as 20 countries, Ansari said the Muslim community should adapt to changing requirements of time and pointed out the need to draw every segment including women into the sphere of education.
This, he said, was the only way out if the Muslim community is to partake in India’s historic growth story.
“We as a community have failed to appreciate the need for education for all sections. Our illiteracy levels continue to remain above the national level and we continue to lag behind in ensuring education at the primary level and for women,” the Vice-President said.
Rejecting the growing clamor for ‘quotas’ in educational institutions and jobs, Ansari said the community should ‘seek equity not concessions’ as ‘seeking specific dispensation will not take us too far’.
“Let us candidly admit that we have failed to conceptualize the demands of a changing environment and failed to understand that education cannot be sectional,” Ansari emphasized.
Ansari urged the Aligarians to introspect and to do some cost accountancy on the occasion. Sir Syed’s message to bring the fruits of modern education to the Muslims of India succeeded to a point but the educational advancement succumbed to selectivity. As a result literacy level remains below the national level and only sections of the well-to-do were exposed to modern and higher education. He urged the AMU students to adopt a proactive mode to withstand the challenges of knowledge society.
He urged AMU old boys to adopt innovative thinking rather than nostalgia and it is the need of the hour. Appreciating the concept of setting up a corpus fund of 100 crores for re-equipping the laboratories, opening new courses, up gradation of facilities and construction of new hostels, He said that the proposed “AMU Endowment Fund” will usher in a new era of academic rejuvenation.
Uttar Pradesh Governor, T.V. Rajeswar announced a contribution of Rs. One lakh to AMU Alumni Fund from Governor’s discretionary fund on the occasion. He also paid rich tributes to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
Jharkhand Governor Sayyid Sibtey Razi said that the emerging knowledge based society has thrown open new challenges. He urged AMU to put emphasis on e-education and e-literacy.
AMU Vice Chancellor Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis, who conceived the idea of World Summit of AMU Alumni, said that the Summit is braced for repositioning the role of AMU in the contemporary globalized world. He declared that the AMU will celebrate a decade long Centenary programme of academic rejuvenation with the support of AMU Alumni. AMU will celebrate its first centenary in 2020. It was converted into a central university in 1920.
AMU Chancellor Justice A.M. Ahmadi released the Souvenir of the Summit and presented its first copy to Prof. Emeritus Irfan Habib.
Uttar Pradesh Minister Jaiveer Singh, Kaukab Hameed, Masood Akhtar Dr. Hasan Kamal and Dr. Musarrat Ali, all three AMU old boys from USA who have made a distinct mark in their professions, also spoke on the occasion.
The program ended with Aligarh Tarana rendered by the students under the able guidance of Johny Foster which made the whole gathering emotional as they tapped their toes and clapped in unison.([email protected])