By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
Kanpur: Following revelations about Muslims’ educational backwardness, made by the Sachar Committee, the Movement for Muslim Empowerment has launched a state-wide educational awareness campaign in Muslim neighborhoods.
According to the Sachar Committee, 25% of Muslim children in the age group of 6-14 years are unable to go to school. They have either not enrolled at school or have dropped out. Percentage of drop-out of Muslim students in towns is more in comparison to admission.
The Movement for Muslim Empowerment has started a campaign to collect the number of such students who have given up their studies or are not going to school. The program being run in cooperation with senior students of colleges and schools in this summer vacation in Uttar Pradesh is meant to motivate Muslim parents to send their children to school in the new academic session. The organization will gather information about the reasons and obstacles which restrict parents to send their wards to schools.
Referring to the Sachar Committee report, Dr Ishrat Siddiqui, general secretary of the organization, said almost 62.5% students of forward castes of Hindus and other communities, minus Muslims, complete primary education while only 44% Muslims are able to do the same. While 65% Muslims complete middle school education, this average is 75% in other communities.
According to 2001 census, only 7% people of 20 years and above are graduates or have any equivalent degree but in Muslims this percentage is less than 4%.
Only 66% Muslim students get education in government schools and 33% in private schools while 3% percent get education in madrasas, said the report. Urdu medium school in towns has almost vanished. As per Sachar Committee report, 59.1% literacy is in Muslims while national average is 65.1%.