Special incentives for Muslim students

Muslim students in the state will soon be able to avail special incentives like scholarships for studying abroad and vocational training in madarsas, as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of Maharashtra state. The provisions are part of the package announced by the Ministry of Minorities on this occasion, and aim at getting marginalised Muslim students into the mainstream.

The ministry’s package is based on feedback received by a committee that studied the requirements of the community and what they felt about existing government schemes. “Firstly, the government needs to remove fear from the minds of the youth and simultaneously bring them into the mainstream. The reason they get stuck is the fear factor,” says Rehan Ansari of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.

The package includes short-term vocational courses in 100 madarsas wherein girls will be trained in tailoring, sewing and other such activities. The madarsas will also be provided various kits and training in using them. According to Anees Ahmed, minister for minorities, 20 students will also be selected for scholarships to study abroad from this year onwards, at a cost of Rs112 crore. Other incentives include free clothes for children from first to fourth standard, and cash incentives of Rs1000-2000 for parents to send their kids to school.

The measures also focus on reducing drop-out rates amongst girls by promoting vocational training in Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) colleges in every taluka. “We will also give Rs12,500 to the girls who complete their board exams. We believe that if we educate girls, they will educate the whole family,” said Ahmed.

Mohammad Ali Imran Ahmed, national campus secretary of Students’ Islamic Organisation of India, says, “The high drop out rate is due to the pressure on young girls to marry at an early age. However, the thinking in our community is slowly changing.”

While the provisions may sound generous on paper, organisations are critical of the government’s lack of will to implement these schemes effectively. “The schemes announced are very good but we always face a problem at the time of execution,” says Ansari. “Officials announce scholarships just a few days before the deadline every year.” He adds that the state government can take a leaf out of Andhra Pradesh’s book.
“They have hired minority officials and trained them so that policies are implemented effectively.”

In the meantime, various Muslim organisations have been arranging workshops and seminars to help students apply for study loans as well as the scholarships that were announced two years ago. “We organised workshops in Mira Road, Mumbra, Malvani, Kurla, and other Muslim-dominated areas,” says Imran. “We found that parents are keen on educating their children but complain they don’t get information on government schemes and scholarships.”