Seminar on minority girls’ education held in Delhi
By TCN News,
New Delhi: In a seminar on inclusive education of minority girls, organized by Universal Knowledge Trust on Sunday in Jamia Nagar area of south Delhi, renowned Islamic scholar and Member of Parliament Maulana Asrarul Haque Qasmi said in his presidential address that Muslims must come forward to take creative initiative at their own and strive to get their due in public resources for promoting education of the community, especially that of their girls’ lot since there is no alternative to knowledge for leading a quality life.
He extensively quoted from Islamic sources and Muslim history to bring home the fact that religion of Islam does not cause any hindrance in the promotion of girls education; rather it elevate its attainment to the level of a duty for both men and women.
Justice M.S.A. Siddiqui addressing the seminar
Justice M.S.A. Siddiqui, chairman of National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, inaugurated the seminar and exhorted the audience that there is a need of bringing an educational revolution among the educationally backward minorities since the way to progress and development only leads through the door of knowledge. He advised the members of educational institutions and NGOs attending the seminar in large number that one should learn to change challenges into opportunity. While explaining the role of the Commission in the promotion of education among minorities and in the preservation of constitutional rights of such communities, he encouraged the aggrieved institutions to take advantage of the due process of law for removing impediments coming in the way of institutions building at large.
Dr K.P Wasnik, director of vocational education at the National Institute of Opening Schooling described in detail how his organization is fulfilling an immense role of educating people at mass level. He went on to say that NIOS has established a minority cell for helping community institutions and organizations to get affiliated with it for availing a number of benefits provided by the government.
The programme began with the welcome address of Dr Shabitsan Ghaffar, the chairperson of All India Confederation for Empowering Women through Education, who shared experience of her efforts for inclusive education of minority women throughout the country during the last few years and made a point that in spite of many bottlenecks in government schemes members of the minority communities should keep on exerting for getting their due in the public resources.
The other speakers of the seminar were Abdul Rashid Agwan, president of Universal Knowledge Trust, Dr Haleema Sadia, secretary of An-Noor Women’s Welfare Organization and Mirza Qamarul Hasan Beg, director of Jamia Cooperative Bank Ltd.
Agwan pointed out critical issues in Muslim girls’ education such as compulsory education, exclusive girls’ institutions, user-friendly methods and privatization of education. Dr Sadia was of the opinion that promotion of girls education among Muslims should begin with the attitudinal change by avoiding celebration of victimhood and making real contribution small or big for fighting the backwardness. Beg explained how his bank was contributing for education in the area.
Dr Shoeb Raza Khan of NIOS and Mohammad Shahabuddin of Zee Salam channel also enriched the discussion.
Audience
On this occasion Community Service Awards were given to Mamduha Majid for vocational education, Dr Haleema Sadia for girls education, Latifa Farooqui for institution building, Afroz Alam Sahil for right to information, Shahid Siddiqui for environmental awareness, Wasia Islam for physical education, Mirza M.F.H Beg for economic advancement, Sabiha Anjum Siddiqui for girls mobilization, Irshad Husain Farooqui for Islamic calligraphic crafts and indianmuslimobserver.com for community journalism. The scholarship awardees of Universal Knowledge Trust also received their installments in the seminar.
The seminar was sponsored by National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, National Institute of Open Schooling, All India Confederation for Empowering Women through Education, An-Noor Women’s Welfare Organization and Jamia Cooperative Bank Ltd which came to an end with the vote of thanks by advocate Farid Khan Burney. At the beginning of the seminar Asraa Baig recited verses of the Quran for invocation.