By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
Mumbai: The state-level Dr Mahmoodur Rahman Committee submitted its interim report to Chief Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh on 30th June in which it made recommendations to improve the condition of Urdu schools and recognize madrasa degrees.
The committee has also recommended the government to establish new schools and improve teaching of Marathi language in Urdu schools. On economic front, the committee recommended to provide latest textile technology to power looms.
To know social, economic and educational conditions of Muslims in the state, the chief minister had constituted this 6-member committee led by Dr Mahmoodur Rahman, former vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, on 9th May 2008. The committee will submit its final report on 31st December this year.
Dr Mahmoodur Rahman, ex-vice chancellor Aligarh Muslim University, handing over his report to Vilas Rao Deshmukh, chief minister Maharashtra
Visiting Muslim majority areas of Malegaon, Bhiwandi, Nasik and Mumbai in this short span, the committee assessed social, educational and economic backwardness of Muslims in the area and prepared a 100-page report and submitted to the state government. The chief minister has sent this report to concerned departments for minorities.
The report has focused on 17 important issues concerning Muslims and has recommended the government to solve them urgently. Stress has been given on better education of Muslims.
According to the report, positions for 200 teachers in Bhiwandi and 150 in Malegaon are lying vacant in schools which should be immediately fulfilled so that educational status can be improved. The report also says that many Muslim majority areas are lacking sufficient number of schools and the condition of the schools in these areas is very pathetic. The committee has drawn government’s attention towards this point and recommended to set up more new schools.
The committee has emphasized the need of establishment of Urdu schools in Muslim majority areas and has also asked the government to ensure better education of Marathi language in these schools in order to remove obstacles in further education.
The committee has recommended in its interim report to develop madrasas and to provide them with latest facilities like other educational institutions. The committee said that the government should recognize madrasa degrees equivalent to the degrees awarded by state board or universities.
To improve the economic condition of Muslims, the committee has recommended to set up textile engineering technology institute in Bhiwandi and Malegaon and to provide resources to upgrade the modern technological standards in power loom industries. Talking to media after submission of the report Dr Rahman said that he had minutely studied the problems of Muslims in the state after visiting the four areas.