Inshallah! Muslim quota in IITs, IIMs

NEW DELHI: The standing committee of the high-profile National Monitoring Committee for Minorities’ Education (NMCME), a high-profile body under the HRD ministry, has recommended reservation for minorities in institutions like IIMs, IITs and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

NMCME is headed by HRD minister Arjun Singh, while former UP minister Zafar Ali Naqvi is the chairman of the standing committee.

The report, to be discussed at NMCME meeting on Thursday, also says: “De-recognition of AMU from minority status is an unfortunate development and not in the best interests of the minority community.”

“It is necessary to appeal against the court decision, so that many other minority institutions with similar history are not deprived of their minority status,”the report says.

The committee has also felt the need for an “over-arching legislation encompassing the entire range of educational rights, enshrined in Article 30(i) of the Constitution. Such a legislation can spell out the details of the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice”.

But there is criticism of the ministry’s programmes and affiliates. For instance, it clearly says that minority communities are not benefiting from the high-profile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in states like UP and Bihar. The funds earmarked for this campaign are not being utilised properly or they are delayed at the state government level.

However, the worst criticism is reserved for All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for its “insensitivity to the needs of minority institutions, unfair practices by certain staff members etc’’. The committee has asked the ministry to institute a “thorough enquiry into the functioning of the AICTE”.

It has also asked the ministry to clarify the limit and extent of AICTE’s authority in relation to universities and deemed universities with regard to sanction of new courses, monitoring of quality, de-recognition of courses etc.

The committee was informed that “arbitrary decisions”were taken by visiting teams of AICTE experts and in some cases, AICTE had cut down the number of seats in technical courses unilaterally.

On madarassa education, the committee has asked the government to bring a new scheme and scrap the existing one since it has failed. It has recommended setting up of Central Madarassa Board/Sangathan which should establish Madarassa Schools on the lines of Central Schools.