digitalLEARNING August 2014

Asia’s premier Monthly Magazine on ICT in Education

volume 10

I issue 08 I august

2014

I ISSN 0973-4139 I ` 75

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digital LEARNING

world education summit 2014

minority education

Let’s Walk the Talk

Contents

ISSN 0973-4139

volume 10 issue 08 august 2014

cover Story

P 20

Let’s Walk the Talk Leaders speak 08 Changing the Face of Higher Education

Praveen Prakash, Joint Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and Mission Director, NMEICT

10 ‘Regulation Beyond a Point is Counter-Productive’

Dr S S Mantha, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education

24 Flexi-learning at Open School

Dr S S Jena, Chairman, National Institute of Open Schooling

30 ‘Current Challenges are Accessibility, Quality and

top 10 leaders 32 Breaking Taboos on Girls Education

Dr. Shabistan Ghaffar, Chairperson, Committee on Girls Education, National Commission For Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI)

34 A Destination for Care and Excellence

Jam’iyyat Da’wa Tablighul Islam, Kerala

36 A Foundation for the Future

Ajmal Foundation, Assam

38 Accelerating the Nation-Building Process

Education Research and Development Foundation, Assam

40 Catalysts of Socio-Economic Transformation

Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad

52 Charting New Horizons

4

30

Equality’ Justice M S A Siddiqui, Chairman, National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions

Muslim Educational Social And Cultural Organisation, Hyderabad

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Justice M S A Siddiqui, Chairman, National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions

68 Education for Equality

Sayyid Ibrahimul Khalilul Bukhari, Founder, Ma’din Academy, Kerala

70 A Western Educational Institution for Slum

Dwellers The Oxford Square, New Delhi

76 Challenging Educational and Social

Backwardness Marwar Muslim Educational & Welfare Society, Jodhpur

80 Igniting a Movement

Subhan Shariff, Honorary Secretary, Al-Ameen Educational Society, Bangalore

News 12 School Education 20 Higher Education 18 Campus Calling

GURGAON (DELHI NCR)

GWALIOR

JAIPUR

LUCKNOW

NEW DELHI NCR

Asia’s premier Monthly Magazine on ICT in Education Volume

Issue 08

10

August 2014

Partner publications

President: Dr M P Narayanan Editor-in-Chief: Dr Ravi Gupta Advisory Board

WEB DEVELOPMENT & IT INFRASTRUCTURE

Prof Asha Kanwar, President, Commonwealth of Learning

Dr Jyrki Pulkkinen, Senior Adviser, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

Dr Subhash Chandra Khuntia, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Govt of India

Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai, Executive Vice President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment

Prof S S Mantha, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

Prof Parvin Sinclair, Director, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

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Editorial Team education Sr Editor: K S Narayanan Assistant Editor: Parimal Peeyush Correspondent: Seema Gupta governance Sr Correspondent: Kartik Sharma, Nayana Singh, Souvik Goswami Research Associate: Sunil Kumar Health Sr Assistant Editor: Shahid Akhter Sr Copy Editor: Rajesh Sharma Copy Editor: Subhash Deb ICE Connect Sr Assistant Editor: Nirmal Anshu Ranjan Assistant Editor: Rachita Jha Correspondent: Veena Kurup SALES & MARKETING TEAM: digital LEARNING National Sales Manager: Fahimul Haque, Mobile: +91 - 8860651632 Associate Manager – Business Development: Amit Kumar Pundhir, Mobile: +91 - 8860635835 Subscription & Circulation Team Manager Subscriptions: +91-8860635832; subscription@elets.in Design Team Sr Graphic Designer: Om Prakash Thakur Sr Graphic Designer: Pramod Gupta Sr Web Designer: Shyam Kishore Editorial & Marketing Correspondence digitalLearning - Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd, Stellar IT Park Office No: 7A/7B, 5th Floor, Annexe Building, C-25, Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, Phone: +91-120-4812600 Fax: +91-120-4812660 Email: info@digitalLearning.in digitalLEARNING is published by Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd. in technical collaboration with the Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS).

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EDITORIAL

A Long Way to Go Despite a decade of high economic growth, India tops the list of countries in the United Nation’s Millennium Development Report with the largest share of global extreme poor. No doubt, this calls for an intense fight against poverty, infant and maternal deaths and the open defecation practice. Equally distressing is another recent report by the UN that puts India at the 135th rank in the Human Development Index, much below the top 100 performers.

These issues have always haunted us since the Independence, thanks to numerous wrong decisions taken by the policy makers.

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Dr Najma Heptulla, who released the UN’s annual MDG report, however, remains hopeful that India will present a very different and upbeat picture when the 15-year review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is undertaken in 2030. Her optimism finds its roots in the inclusive growth message given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Backed by the strongest mandate in decades, the NDA government unveiled its maiden budget with substantial measures for strategic interventions in several social sectors by making higher allocation for education, sanitation and skill development to reverse the dismal situation. Also, as part of its call for development for all, the new government has assured funding for minority welfare and allocations for various minority-related schemes.

An additional amount of Rs 100 crore for the modernisation of Madrasas has also been provided to the Department of School Education.

The Sachar Committee report submitted in November 2006 details just how poorly Muslims are positioned in comparison to the majority community and other religious and social minorities. In this backdrop, we decided to dedicate this issue of digital Learning magazine to minority educational institutions across the country – the first of its kind exercise by any media house – engaged in promoting empowerment through education. We are sure the issue in your hand will serve its purpose by giving you an insight on how these institutions are working tirelessly to shape up minority education in the country.

To highlight the issues facing the education sector, minority institutions in particular, Elets Technomedia has joined hands with the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) for the fourth edition of the World Education Summit (WES) 2014 (http://wes.eletsonline.com) scheduled for August 7-8, 2014 in New Delhi. The Summit will see policy makers from the Centre and state governments, regulators and education leaders from primary and secondary schools, colleges, universities and minority educational institutions shed light on the opportunities, challenges and the road ahead.

Dr Ravi Gupta Editor-in-Chief Ravi.Gupta@elets.in

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

7

industry Leader sspeak peak

Changing the Face of Higher Education ICT interventions are required to reach out to the masses and provide learning opportunities to the deprived, says Praveen Prakash, Joint Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and Mission Director, National Mission on Education through ICT. In an interaction with ENN, he says the real challenge now lies in enabling and empowering teachers in adopting a technologyenabled environment and making them adept in the emerging modes of technology-based delivery. Excerpts from the interview What are the challenges of higher education and how can ICT interventions help?

The biggest challenge faced in higher education today is the provision of quality higher education to the masses in a cost-effective manner. For the 26 million that go to college today, we have 675 degree-awarding institutions and 37,204 colleges. In all developed countries, the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education is above 40 per cent and the global average is 23 per cent, whereas in India it is only 22 per cent. By 2020, the government envisions to enhance it to 30 per cent. This would mean an extra 40 million going to colleges. The biggest challenge is to provide for those 30 per cent who will need another 700 universities and 40 to 50 thousand colleges in the future.

With limited resources,

existing ‘brick and mortar’ campuses alone cannot cope up with the current and future demand for higher education. Therefore, ICT interventions are required to reach out to the masses and provide learning opportunities to those who are otherwise deprived.

How do you visualise the transformation that ICT-enabled education will bring in the education system?

ICT-enabled education is rapidly changing the face of higher education as it attracts students of all ages and provides training and learning opportunities just-in-time. It has the potential to overcome barriers of physical distance and time, lower institutional or organisational costs and increase student enrollment. It offers flexibility to learners through access to courses at any time or place, promotes individualised learning, and provides educational opportunities to those who are unable to attend class either because of constraints of time or distance or due to other socio-economic reasons.

What is the role of National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT) in this context?

The National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT) was launched

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on February 3, 2009 at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to leverage the potential of ICT in the teaching and learning process and is envisioned to be a major intervention in enhancing the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education. NMEICT is a landmark initiative to address all the education and learningrelated needs of students, teachers and lifelong learners. Three major components of the Mission are broadband connectivity to all higher education institutions, providing low cost access devices and developing high quality e-content across disciplines.

What are the major initiatives of the Mission?

Under the NKN/NMEICT schemes, the Mission aims to extend computer infrastructure and connectivity to over 26,000 colleges and 2,000 polytechnics in the country including each of the departments of 419 universities/deemed universities and institutions of national importance as a part of its motto to provide connectivity up to the last mile. The Mission also aims to provide Internet access to every learner and teacher as an academic right. The Mission has funded the development of Ultra Low Cost Computing Devices to enable students, wherever they may be, access to educational content. MHRD, through the NMEICT, has launched an affordable tablet ‘AAKASH’ for use as an educational tool.

In the first phase, 1,00,000 tablets have been procured to be deployed in engineering colleges.

E-content creation has been undertaken on a massive scale by many institutions and universities. NPTEL is a joint initiative of IITs and IISc funded by this Mission to enhance the quality of engineering education in the country by providing free online courseware.

The project is now in the second phase of development where more than 990 courses in 23 disciplines in engineering and science are getting generated.

Other major initiatives of e-content generation have been taken up by CEC for 68 subjects at UG-level courses and

UGC for PG-level courses in 77 subjects.

Apart from this, many other institutions are generating e-content in specialised subject areas. All the courseware is to be made available as Open Educational Resources (OER) under the Creative Commons CC-BY license for the benefit of the learner and teacher community in the country.

On the virtual reality front, interesting projects have been initiated under NMEICT such as virtual labs, E - Yantra: Robot-enhanced teaching of subjects in engineering colleges and hap-

The first initiative is developing a National e-Library which will be aggregating all the e-content being developed under the Mission and providing personalised services to the learner as per their educational requirement.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is a phenomenon gathering momentum over the past few years that integrates the connectivity of social networking, the facilitation of an acknowledged expert in a field of study and a collection of freely accessible online resources. The second major

An important area that requires urgent intervention is to put in place a policy acceptable to all stakeholders for integrating technology-enabled learning as a part of curriculum and recognising degrees/ diplomas earned through the online or blended mode. tic devices for vocational education.

Teacher’s training is another important component of NMEICT. Under the ‘Talk to a Teacher’ project sanctioned to IIT, Bombay, A-VIEW developed by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is being used as the collaboration tool for the National Teacher Empowerment Program. It is a programme to train thousands of college teachers across the nation. More than 36,000 teachers have already been trained under this programme.

The initiatives of the Mission sound impressive. What plans do you have to ensure optimum utilisation of these NMEICT products and services?

Significant progress has been made by the NMEICT in developing low-cost access devices and software applications for ICT-based education, generating e-content across disciplines and providing connectivity to colleges and universities. The challenge now lies in embedding the technologies in the teaching-learning processes. For this, two major initiatives are coming up to ensure maximum utilisation of the NMEICT products and services.

initiative is in this direction. Under the Mission, work is on to set up MOOCs for different discipline areas such as engineering and technology, social sciences, humanities and fine arts, medical sciences and agriculture. Initially these courses are to be offered as open courses with the option for request for certificate of participation. In the long run, the plan is to roll them out as Virtual University platforms providing online degrees and diplomas.

What are the challenges you envisage in the implementation of ICT-enabled education in our country?

The major challenge of the Mission is to enable and empower teachers in adopting a technology-enabled environment, supporting them in acquiring skills in e-content development and make them adept in emerging modes of technology-based delivery. Another important area that requires urgent intervention is to put in place a policy acceptable to all stakeholders for integrating technology-enabled learning as a part of curriculum and recognising degrees/ diplomas earned through the online or blended mode.

9

industry Leader sspeak peak

‘Regulation Beyond a Point is CounterProductive’ A regulator needs to constantly evolve, says AICTE Chairman Dr S S Mantha. In an interview to K S Narayanan of Elets News Network, Dr Mantha asserts that the AICTE is here to stay - to protect vulnerable people from being exploited and to facilitate those doing good work Where do you see Indian technical education ten years from now?

Conventional education system will remain. But the applications would certainly be changing and the entire technology paradigm would move towards application and new technology creation. I hope some of the Indian institutions would come in the top bracket of 100 institutions. The teaching and learning process in India is as good as anywhere in the world. What is lacking is research and industry interface. In the next ten years, with the kind of initiatives being taken now, these two things will change. Industry interactions will increase and with new industry in place, a lot of research would be centered around creating new products and process improvements. Another area that will gain currency is the entire demographics moving towards the younger population. This will drive the employment market which will essentially be based on skills. So, we need to invest in skills today.

The employability quotient of Indian graduates has been a matter of concern for the industry for quite some time now. What is your view on this and how does AICTE plan to address this challenge?

I believe that the employment of Indian graduates is fairly good. Having said

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that, we should know what ails the sysand if the industry is not doing well, tem. There are several reports published should we not have more people gradueither by Mackenzie, Ernst & Young and ating? But this is a poor way of looking Assocham. However, they are all created at it. Instead, we need to raise the generwith a certain sample size and for a ceral enrollment ratio, improve supply-side tain job role. Let’s say I am looking for dynamics, better students must get into Java programmers or C# programmers the system and we need more colleges. and I advertise for that post. I may reAt the same time, in order to absorb ceive 100 applications and I find that 25 them, we need a different skill-based edto 30 are good. I may not be in a position ucation paradigm. We need to massively to employ the rest. This does not mean increase employment opportunities. that 25 or 30 per cent is the standard employability rate across the sectors. I With the government’s renewed have a million graduates passing out evfocus on job-oriented training, ery year and assuming that the employis AICTE in any plans to modify ability is 25 per cent, 7.5 lakh students content for courses that come every year are out of the system and not under the purview of the AICTE? finding jobs. This does not seems to be We have created several opportunities. correct. What is happening is that there We are working with Confederation is a lot of underemployment. It is a seriof Indian Industries. We have recently ous problem because one The teaching and learning process in India does not get a job commenis as good as anywhere in the world. What surate with is lacking is research and industry interface one’s qualifications. We also need to find out whether the Indian industry is initiated several skill initiatives and growing at a rate where I can guarantee have come out with a framework in a million jobs every year at that level. I this regard. We have mandated all our should be able to map the available posiinstitutions to run one division with tions within the industry sector to grad100 students will skills. We are funding uates I produce. institutions to set up research labs and In this, there is another problem industry interfaces. We are conducting area. The minute we match these two a survey with CII to find out the best

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educational institutions in the technical space. We are currently in the third survey. More and more institutes are participating in it. We have also found expert groups within every industry sector.

They have actually created the content.

We have created 16 sectors - constructions, para-medical, automobiles, IT, communications, retail, water sports, adventure sports, etc. In all the 16 sectors, we have created content from level one to seven for 80 different specialisations and are available on AICTE website and can be downloaded for free.

Privatisation has come into the education industry in a big way. In this changed scenario, how does a monitoring authority such as the AICTE maintain its relevance?

We fundamentally believe that any regulation beyond a point is counter-productive. A regulator has to constantly evolve. At some point of time, it needs to be more enabling than being a pure regulator and become a facilitator. We need to identify well-meaning institutions with a proven track record which are provided with conducive conditions to grow. Similarly, we need different set of parameters to judge those institutions which are not doing so well. We also need a method of accreditation for institutions which is based on outcomes which in turn help rectify the system. A self-correction mechanism needs to be built in the system rather than somebody pushing for quality. This paradigm has to change. At the same time, a large population is exploited by some institutions. So we need a regulator which can protect these people and also enable others who are doing good work.

per cent of our population is below 35. What is the gross enrollment ratio (GER) today? It is just 20. India’s GER is 18 per cent. Now, in the age group of 18 to 23, look at the population eligible to go to college those actually going to college. In India, 20 people in that age group manage to go to college. This, in absolute terms, is resulting in 25 million students passing the 10th, 11th and 12th standards. Out of about 50 million students who appear for examinations, 25 million students fail too. The 25 million who pass go to college. Out of this, approximately one million opt for engineering while the rest of them go to humanities, commerce, law, distance learning etc. So my point is that if you increase the GER by another five points, you have an additional load on the system. Instead of 25 million, 35 million will pass. This means that I have to provide for admission in the existing colleges. Can we do it? So, supply-side dynamics need to improve in terms of secondary schools, setting up of more colleges and being absorbed by the job market.

colleges across the country, the students passing out have found it difficult to be absorbed by the industry. Is the dearth of quality faculty in such institutions a matter of concern ?

We have to create better opportunities for teachers. This teaching business is aptitude-based. So we have to provide for training, research facilities and incentivise them. We also need to create an enabling mechanism to attract Indians who are teaching abroad.

With mushrooming of private

Seats in several engineering colleges in states such as Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have found few takers.

Many of these colleges have been forced to shut shop.

Where did the calculation go wrong?

If you look at the demographics, 65

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

11

nEWS

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Education

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Tamil Politicos Fret Over Sankrit Week

A

dozen Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu engaged with each other in political and ideological battles is no new phenomenon. Neither are issues like the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka, their anti-Hindi sentiment and the ban by exclusive clubs on veshtis (lungi) that occasionally unite them. Though temporarily, the most recent factor to have got them together has been their united opposition to celebrating August 7 to August 13 as Sanskrit week, a move proposed by the Centre. Several Dravidian parties fired a salvo against the Centre beginning with the MDMK, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) first ally in Tamil Nadu for the 2014 general elections. Party chief Vaiko was first to protest the Sanskrit Week celebrations describing it as ‘mischievous and dangerous’. While PMK chief S Ramadoss, another BJP ally, declared that the ‘imposition of another culture’ would not be tolerated, DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi asked the Centre to confine their proposal to Hindi-speaking states only. Joining the chorus soon was Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa who soon shot off a letter to the Prime Minister asking him to advise the MHRD to honour classical languages instead. “Any official celebration of Sanskrit Week in Tamil Nadu is highly inappropriate,” Jayalalithaa said in her letter released to the media in Chennai. Taking on the Dravidian parties was none other than senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy from the state, who wondered why Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi did not realise that their names were derived from the Sanskrit language itself.

Two-third of Indore Girls Primary School Drop-Outs Over two-thirds of the girls in the age-group of 5-12 in Indore are missing out on primarily schooling.

School education data for the city of Indore in Madhya Pradesh reveals that over 67 per cent of Indore’s school girls have dropped out from the fold of primary education. Meanwhile, the Department of School Education has identified 1,170 girls in urban Indore who have not been admitted to any school - either private or government during the 2014-15 academic session. Out of these, nearly 770 girls fall within the age group of 5-12 years, which is the age of receiving primary school education. According to officials, the department expects to enroll nearly 200 girl students in this admission round for out-of-school children. “The percentage is high but we are positive of bringing it down soon,” the official said. Survey data includes out-of-school girls within the age group 4-18 years.

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August 2014 / digitalLEARNING

Puducherry in Plans for Excellence in Education The Puducherry government is in the process of drawing up a long-term plan for the development of education in the Union Territory (UT). According to E Vallavan, Additional Secretary Education and Director of School Education, a high-level committee has been set up for this purpose and they are on the job already. “We hope that we have a workable plan that will raise education standards overall and better prepare students to excel in national level competitive examinations,” he said. Despite the UT having topped the charts in the Education Development Index for the fifth consecutive year, it lagged behind in some areas of higher education such as representation in IITs and other premier institutions. Stating that the introduction of CBSE system in government schools was aimed at preparing students to get through competitive entrance tests, Vallavan said that the decision was taken in the best interests of the students. The CBSE curriculum is being rolled out in the first standard of all schools, and up to the fifth standard in schools which have English as a medium of instruction.

nEWS

School

Education

To read latest news, log on to education.eletsonline.com

Some Food for Thought

F

ifteen Delhi schools will be the first among India to receive information on educating teachers, students and parents on diabetes. The move is part of a project titled Kids and Diabetes in School (KIDS) and is being conducted by the Public Health Foundation of India in collaboration with AIIMS, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY) and pharmaceutical company Sanofi. This is aimed at fostering an environment that creates better understanding of diabetes. “We had launched a scheme called Chacha Nehru Sehat Yojna in 2011 to focus on awareness in school children about certain diseases and conduct health checkups but it focusses mainly on conventional diseases. However, statistics reveal a steep increase in the number of diabetes patients, especially children and adolescents, hence such an initiative was the need of the hour,” Anindo Majumdar, Principal Secretary, Education, Delhi, said at the launch of the specially designed ‘school diabetes information pack.

National Geographic Eyes Indian Schools National Geographic Explorer, a dedicated programme for science and English that is used by leading schools globally, is now in India. The Explorer education programme, that aims to increase interest in science and nature among students and also expose them to high standards of the English language, would be available at around Rs 1,500 per child. The target is to enroll 1 lakh students over the next two years for the programme, including 30,000 students from government schools, said Francis Downey, vice-president and publisher, National Geographic Explorer magazine. National Geographic Explorer aims to reach out to relevant stakeholders in the primary education space and is meeting with regulatory authorities, principals, school directors, teachers and NGOs across cities. It is also in talks with CBSE to understand its imperatives and how to increase alignment with its curriculum for subjects such as science, geography and English.

Admit Third Gender: MHRD The Union Ministry for Human Resource Development (MHRD) has asked all states and Union Territories to take appropriate action towards including ‘third gender’ children for admission to educational institutions under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). This directive is in tune with with the Supreme Court order of April 15, 2014, to treat and grant legal recognition to the ‘third gender’. In the order, SC had directed the Centre and states to take steps to treat transgenders as socially and educationally backward classes and extend reservation for admission in educational institutions and public appointments. The University Grants Commission too had issued a circular that transgenders would be included as third gender under the various scholarships and fellowship schemes of the commission.

Punjab Partners with NSDC for Vocational Training

T

he Punjab government and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) have joined hands in an attempt to create employment opportunities for the youth through imparting vocational training and making them employable. The Punjab government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NSDC to this effect. The programme assures guaranteed employment to the senior secondary pass-outs of the vocational school. Around 100 schools have been identified in which the state is going to initiate exclusive vocational education programmes, as per details in an official release. There will also be an inclusion of special vocational education for class 9 to 12 students for the 2014-15 session in the state, the release added. The programme has been prepared by the experts of IITs and IIMs keeping in mind the requirements of various industries. Teacher requirement guidelines will be set by NSDC to ensure best fit candidate with high quality. Each school will get two trades which include health care, IT, retail, automobile, security and beauty and wellness.

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August 2014 / digitalLEARNING

advertorial

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nEWS

School

Education

To read latest news, log on to education.eletsonline.com

Some Food for Thought

F

ifteen Delhi schools will be the first among India to receive information on educating teachers, students and parents on diabetes. The move is part of a project titled Kids and Diabetes in School (KIDS) and is being conducted by the Public Health Foundation of India in collaboration with AIIMS, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY) and pharmaceutical company Sanofi. This is aimed at fostering an environment that creates better understanding of diabetes. “We had launched a scheme called Chacha Nehru Sehat Yojna in 2011 to focus on awareness in school children about certain diseases and conduct health checkups but it focusses mainly on conventional diseases. However, statistics reveal a steep increase in the number of diabetes patients, especially children and adolescents, hence such an initiative was the need of the hour,” Anindo Majumdar, Principal Secretary, Education, Delhi, said at the launch of the specially designed ‘school diabetes information pack.

National Geographic Eyes Indian Schools National Geographic Explorer, a dedicated programme for science and English that is used by leading schools globally, is now in India. The Explorer education programme, that aims to increase interest in science and nature among students and also expose them to high standards of the English language, would be available at around Rs 1,500 per child. The target is to enroll 1 lakh students over the next two years for the programme, including 30,000 students from government schools, said Francis Downey, vice-president and publisher, National Geographic Explorer magazine. National Geographic Explorer aims to reach out to relevant stakeholders in the primary education space and is meeting with regulatory authorities, principals, school directors, teachers and NGOs across cities. It is also in talks with CBSE to understand its imperatives and how to increase alignment with its curriculum for subjects such as science, geography and English.

Admit Third Gender: MHRD The Union Ministry for Human Resource Development (MHRD) has asked all states and Union Territories to take appropriate action towards including ‘third gender’ children for admission to educational institutions under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). This directive is in tune with with the Supreme Court order of April 15, 2014, to treat and grant legal recognition to the ‘third gender’. In the order, SC had directed the Centre and states to take steps to treat transgenders as socially and educationally backward classes and extend reservation for admission in educational institutions and public appointments. The University Grants Commission too had issued a circular that transgenders would be included as third gender under the various scholarships and fellowship schemes of the commission.

Punjab Partners with NSDC for Vocational Training

T

he Punjab government and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) have joined hands in an attempt to create employment opportunities for the youth through imparting vocational training and making them employable. The Punjab government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NSDC to this effect. The programme assures guaranteed employment to the senior secondary pass-outs of the vocational school. Around 100 schools have been identified in which the state is going to initiate exclusive vocational education programmes, as per details in an official release. There will also be an inclusion of special vocational education for class 9 to 12 students for the 2014-15 session in the state, the release added. The programme has been prepared by the experts of IITs and IIMs keeping in mind the requirements of various industries. Teacher requirement guidelines will be set by NSDC to ensure best fit candidate with high quality. Each school will get two trades which include health care, IT, retail, automobile, security and beauty and wellness.

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August 2014 / digitalLEARNING

Special Feature

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Blend your courses with “I love the smell of a new book!” I know many of us do so!

P

erhaps, that’s a common start-point of the ‘serious’ educational journey for all of us; it starts with a book in hand!

Whatever curriculum or medium we followed in our academic lives, the school year always started with a bag full of books. This was then followed by classroom study with teacher who would make sure we understood even the most arcane concepts in the books. Not to forget the endless hours of brainstorming sessions with peers until the concepts were well understood.

Every year ended with examinations to evaluate our knowledge.

The conventional teaching-learning process Interestingly, we can easily break the above process in four parts: 1. Books or notes 2. Classroom Teaching 3. Revision through discussion 4. Knowledge-evaluation through tests. The mix-n-matches of these four steps cover our experiences of learning and teaching across the ages! Even in the previctorian period the teaching-learning used to happen in the similar flow with perhaps different nomenclatures in practice; nonetheless, the Victorian model of education (which is currently adopted, world-wide) follows the same flow at large.

Replicating the academic-cycle Online In recent years, internet has had a significant impact in the way we teach and learn. Learning is no longer confined to the four walls of the classrooms or behind books, it’s anywhere and anytime.

We might want to admit finally that ‘technology is disrupting education’.

Who said it means abolishing schools and colleges? It means using hardware and software to improve education and finally learning outcome. It means supplementing learning by moving the four-way teaching-learning process, online via cloud based libraries, virtual classrooms, online or offline peer-to-peer discussion sessions and online tests.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms are a respite for teachers and institutes as these do not require high-end understanding of technology, and these are highly user-friendly in nature and can seamlessly be integrated with existing systems.

A few example of SaaS-based online teaching tools Teachers can use platforms like authorSTREAM.com, slideshare.net and scripd.com to upload their notes or content files and share with students via internet. For real-time teaching, live virtual classrooms are available from basic to advance level, viz platforms like gotomeeting.in, webex.com and bigbluebutton.org. Facebook-groups is a useful addition in the respective social networking site supplementing online teacher-to-student discussions and student-to-student discussions in a closed group setting. There are many platforms that teaches can use to build online tests

like taotesting.com, kryteriononline. com, exambuilder.com, etc.

The only problem with all the above platforms is they are not all inclusive.

A teacher might end up using 5 different platforms to teach one class. That’s cumbersome and painful because all you want to do is teach.

The one-stop solution Unlike, solving the problems of academic delivery in pieces, WizIQ.com took the challenge to solve it holistically! WizIQ’s cloud based content library supports varied file types. You can upload, share and access from anywhere and anytime.

WizIQ believes teachers can never be replicated by technology, teachers should be supported in the process to enhance the learning outcomes. The advanced Virtual Classroom technology of WizIQ does it all! It creates an environment where teachers and students interact live with each other. The classes are recorded and archived as well.

A community based discussion-forum amongst the course learners and teacher supports the post-class discussion, online, asynchronously.

The advanced test and assignment features of WizIQ allows teachers to conduct MCQ and subjective type tests for students. It also provides test-analytics to assess and compare the performances by the students. WizIQ is used by regular colleges, distance learning colleges and also by test preparation institutes with ease of execution.

Reach the author In case you have any query or interest to adopt WizIQ in your teaching, you can reach out to at kalyan@wiziq.com or academics@wiziq.com

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

19

nEWS nEWS

Higher School

Education Education

To read latest news, log on to education.eletsonline.com

Fat Bait for New Faculty in Offing IIT-Jodhpur has decided to offer a starting salary of Rs 25 lakh per annum to battle faculty crunch. “In our endeavour to recruit new faculty members for IIT-Jodhpur, we have decided to give a head start to every new recruit and have offered a start-up grant of Rs 25 lakh to every faculty on joining the IIT, which is the highest among all the institutions around,” said Chairman of the Board of Governors, Goverdhan Mehta. With the number of sanctioned posts at 90, IIT-Jodhpur is short of nearly 40 faculty members but the figure has barely been able to cross the 50 mark

MHRD Initiates Operation Faculty Recharge In an attempt to meet the faculty requirement for 6,251 vacant posts in the 39 central universities under the purview of the UGC, the government has planned to set up four new central universities in the country and teachers shall be re-employed at these varsities on contract beyond the age of 65 years and up to the age of 70 years. “The Ministry of Human Resource Development has decided to set up four new central universities, viz. one Central Tribal University each in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, one central university in Andhra Pradesh and Mahatma Gandhi Central University in Bihar,” HRD minister Smriti Irani has informed the parliament. A scheme called “Operation Faculty Recharge” has also been initiated for augmenting the research and teaching resources of universities to tackle the shortage of faculty in the university system.

Better Late than Never In the aftermath of the Beas tragedy where 24 students drowned, the government has asked the UGC and AICTE to frame guidelines on ensuring students’ safety while on excursion or study trips. Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani said that the two regulators - University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education -- have been asked by the government to frame the guidelines.

“While there is absolutely no provision in the UGC Act or the AICTE Act with regard to the safety of students during study tours, we have, however, had a combined meeting of the AICTE and the UGC, which are submitting its recommendations to the Ministry vis-à-vis precautionary measures that institutions can take with regard to the safety of students,” Irani told parliament last month. In May, a student went missing at NIT Kurukshetra after he had gone for a swim in a nearby canal.

In February, the practice wall of the tennis court where some students were playing collapsed, killing a physically challenged student from NIT, Calicut.

In another incident, a student from NIT Suratkhal drowned. In February, 2013, one student of IIT Mumbai drowned in the lake after unauthorisedly entering a restricted zone.

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August 2014 / digitalLEARNING

IIT(K) Woos Students, Faculty from Abroad

Eyeing an improved international ranking, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has started inviting foreign students, faculties and even Nobel laureates every year to its campus. The first International Summer and Winter Term (ISWT) at IIT, which ended in July, had around 10 students from Australia and at least one international faculty in each of the 19 short-term courses. “In the winter season, we are expecting around five students from a university in Tokyo. There will be at least 10 foreign teachers as well during that time,” said Siddhartha Mukhopadhyay, Dean of alumni and international relations at IIT-Kahragpur. By bringing together participants and faculty from India and abroad, the ISWT programme now has subjects designed around current and multi-disciplinary themes of science, engineering, management and law. The duration of each course is of two weeks or ten working days with a judicious blend of lectures and tutorials per day.

From the U.S. to India to Singapore...

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Taken by students, in more than 170 countries, the SAT and SAT Subject Tests™ are challenging standardized assessments that test students’ knowledge across reading, writing, math and a variety of other subject areas.

For more information on how the SAT is used in admission, email india@collegeboard.org.

© 2014 The College Board.

14b-9547

nEWS

Campus

Calling

CEPT Launches Course on Smart Cities Taking a cue from the government’s proposal of building ‘100 Smart Cities’ acrossIndiaandtherecently announced allocation of Rs 7,600croreintheUnionbudget for 2014-15 in this regard, Ahmedabad-basedCenterfor EnvironmentalPlanningand Technology(CEPT)University has developed a course on ‘SmartCities’tounderstandthe concept,theglobalscenario anditspracticalapplication.The course,probablythefirstofits kind,isinitiallybeingoffered to masters level students of architecture, planning, technologyandmanagementof CEPTUniversityasanelective.

Based on the response, the FacultyofPlanning,whichhas initiatedthecourse,couldlater offerittoalargeraudiencelike governmentofficialsinvolvedin cityplanning.Thecourse,which waslaunchedonJuly25,will alsohavevisitingfacultyfrom UK and the European Union withglobalexpertslikeIanMell fromUniversityofLiverpooland FrancescaSartorioandAndrew FlynnfromCardiffUniversity, UK.Thiswillhelpstudentsin understandingtheconcepts, discourses and practices of ‘SmartCities’acrosstheglobe.

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August 2014 / digitalLEARNING

5-Star Accommodation for Nalanda University Students Students of the revived Nalanda University are in for a treat. Run by the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC), a part of Hotel Tathagat, a property spread across three acres of land near a hot spring site with lush green surroundings will serve as a hostel for students of the University. The international centre of learning coming up in Bihar is set to open its doors on September 1. More than 1,000 students from 40 countries have sought admissions here and the applicants include those from US, Russia, England, Spain, Germany, Japan, Myanmar, Austria, Sri Lanka and other West Asian and Southeast Asian countries. The university will pay over Rs 1 crore per annum to the BSTDC for the facility. Six faculty members have been appointed for each of the two schools. They are from New Zealand, England, the US and Singapore. The university, an initiative of the Indian government and the 18 East Asia Summit (EAS) countries, is coming up at Rajgir around 12 km from the ruins of its ancient namesake that was flocked by thousands of scholars and thinkers from across the world till the 12th century. An eight-kilometre boundary wall marks the 446-acre campus where the modern centre of excellence is to come up. The residential university, due to be completed by 2020, is to have seven schools - all for postgraduate and doctorate students.

CBSE NETs UGC The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the largest exam-conducting body, is now in charge of the National Eligibility Test (NET). The CBSE, that also conducts board examinations for classes Xth and XIIth along with pre-medical entrance exams, joint engineering entrance (main) and the central teacher’s eligibility test, will now become the biggest exam-conducting body worldwide.

After the University Grants Commission (UGC) failed to carry out the test hassle-free this year, the responsibility got transferred to the CBSE to carry out the test with the consent of the HRD ministry. NET is conducted twice a year for grant of junior research fellowship and eligibility for assistant professor in institutes of higher learning. In a year, the CBSE has been conducting diverse qualifying, eligibility and entrance exams for over 63 lakh students. With NET, its number is expected to go beyond 65 lakh.

A Virtual Tech Univ Soon Seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) havejoinedhandstoestablish India’sfirstvirtualtechnology university. The university is expectedtobeestablishedin thenexttwotothreeyears.IIT Delhi,IITBombay,IITGuwahati, IIT Chennai, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee and theIIScBangalorewillmeetin DelhiinAugusttofinaliseproject details.Theywillalsothrashout whethertheplanneduniversity couldofferdegreesdirectlyor tieupwithotheruniversitiesto transfer credits for a degree.

Virtual university is the next steptomakehighereducation moreaccessible,availableand affordabletostudentsandIndia embarking on this path is a welcome step.

Leader speak

Flexi-learning at Open School The open school concept works on the principle of education anytime, anywhere and for anybody and is fast emerging as the alternative mechanism for developing a literate India, says Dr S S Jena, Chairman of the National Institute of Open Schooling in conversation with ENN Established in 1989, how far do you believe has NIOS fulfilled its mandate of universalisation of education and the evolution of a learning society in India ?

The idea of introducing Open Schooling in India was first considered in the early seventies of the twentieth century.

In August 1974, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) appointed a Working Group to examine the feasibility of setting up an Open School. Taking note of the fact that the country was facing the persistent problem of school drop outs, it was felt that in the interest of individuals as well as of the nation, the drop outs may be provided an opportunity to come back to the mainstream and continue

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their education. The problems of education of girls and children belonging to rural and economically backward communities, and persons living in difficult contexts, may also be addressed. It was realised that unless the Open Learning System is provided for, where the children as well as adults can take advantage of opportunities for education at their own convenience and at their own pace, it will continue to pose a very difficult situation.

In November 1978, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and NCERT organised an International Seminar on Open School which was attended by experts on distance education. As a follow up of the international seminar, the CBSE set up the ‘Open School’ in July 1979 as a project. It was the first of its kind in India. In fact, this came up before the first Open University in India, i.e. Andhra Pradesh Open University (1982) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (1985).

The Open School Project was started in 1979. However, it was only in 1981-82 that registration of learners started; 1672 were enrolled. In 1983-84, the first Secondary level examination of the ‘Open School’ was conducted. The basic idea was to provide educational opportunities at school level to those have missed their first chance education through the formal education system due to various socio-economic constraints. The

vision of NIOS has been recast as ‘to provide sustainable inclusive learning with universal and flexible access to quality school education and skill development.’

Its mission is to provide relevant, continuing and holistic education up to predegree level through open and distance learning system; contribute to the universalisation of school education; and cater to the educational needs of the prioritised target groups for equity and social justice.

National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) provides opportunities to interested learners by making available the following courses/programmes of study through open and distance learning (ODL) mode: Open Basic Education (OBE) Programme for children (up to 14 years), Open Basic Education (OBE) Programme as Equivalency Programme for neo-literates, school dropouts/ left-outs (adolescents and adults above 14 years of age) Secondary Education Programme equivalent to 10th standard Senior Secondary Education Courses equivalent to 12th standard Vocational Education Courses/Programmes leading to skill development Life Enrichment Programmes for awareness generation in the areas of health and livelihood.

What is the framework that NIOS follows to ensure the quality of academic support to its students?

Flexibility is the basic hallmark of NIOS.

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Chief features on which the learning strategies are evolved through the NIOS include flexibility in age of admission (no upper age limit & minimum age is 14+); flexibility in deciding course, place and space of study; freedom to select subjects, according to one’s needs, interest & abilities; integration of academic with vocational courses; continuous assessment through Tutor Marked Assignments (TMA); credit accumulation facility over a period of five years and the facility of transfer of credits from other Boards of school Education.

How are you reaching out to students in remote and rural areas?

NIOS is primarily an open distance learning institution. It operates using three-tier systems. At the first level is its HQ at Noida which is involved in preparing the policy as well as learning resources for the learners. At the second level, it has as on date 18 Regional Centres primarily responsible for programme execution and monitoring activities. At the last level, we have more than 5,000 study centres across India, mostly located in formal schools and organisations engaged in the academic and educational activities. This network of institutions supports the system for implementing both academic and vocational courses. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a significant role in facilitating the activities starting from admission, course transaction and assessment of learners.

It takes the help from regular schools in building its network and also draws support from the NGOs to reach out. Also, it has been drawing support of the state government for opening of study centres in educationally backward blocks.

A commendable feat accomplished by NIOS is the Basic Literacy Assessment of more than 4 crore neo-literates. Such an assessment and certification was under-

taken for the first time in the history of adult education in the country and it was made possible only because of the commitment of NIOS & NLMA. I understand that more than 3 crore neo-literates have been assessed since 2010 and they can now go for basic education offered

by NIOS as an Equivalency Programme.

NIOS study materials for the Open Basic Education Programme were released by the President of India during the International Literacy Day celebrations this year. In partnership with NLMA under the Sakshar Bharat Programme, NIOS is soon going to launch their Open Basic Education Programme for Adults. I am sure this alternative mechanism for developing a literate India will also draw considerable attention years ahead.

A skilled India is the thrust of the new government. What contribution will NIOS have towards this goal?

Skill building is viewed as an instrument

There is a paradigm shift in the learning-teaching methodology - from print-based to technologyenabled. How well is NIOS geared up on this front?

NIOS uses technology for facilitating learning. Apart from providing print based learning inputs, it also uses digitalised version of the learnig resources. All video programmes of NIOS are available on You-

A commendable feat accomplished by NIOS is the Basic Literacy Assessment of more than 4 crore neo-literates to improve the effectiveness and contribution of workforce to the overall productivity and production. It may also be seen as an instrument to empower the individual and improve his/her social acceptance or value.

India has set a huge target of training 500 million people by 2022 which requires programmes that are scalable, replicable and accessible. A large portion of the employment would occur in the lower segment of the skill pyramid.

There is large demand and supply gap where the current supply is unable to meet the ever growing labour demands

Rising Enrollment at NIOS Year

Secondary

Sr. Secondary

Vocational

Others

Total

2010-11

222336

235719

22779

61101

541935

2011-12

234317

259217

26345

36451

556339

2012-13

239163

271625

28035

28367

567190

Total

both in quality and numbers.

In this era of globalisation and economic change, the government must strive to offer learning opportunities to all, throughout life, by developing and improving structures and procedure to recognise all forms of learning, particularly the outcomes of non-formal and informal learning. Assessment, validation and certification of prior learning experiences, of late, have gained paramount importance worldwide, more particularly in the developing nations. NIOS has been pioneering in this area.

tube. A high definition video studio was setup at NIOS for enhanced production of in-house video tutorials and telecast of recorded as well as live programmes/PCPs and teleconferences. Mukta Vidya Vani, a web-based audio streaming 24x7 was launched in July, 2012 for its learners and other stakeholders.

The NIOS had partnered with CISCO. Other initiatives under the Public-Private Partnership mode that you may be looking at?

To strengthen its vocational education initiatives, NIOS signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with NIC, ITDC, IMA, CIDC etc. for developing collaborative vocational and skill development programmes. It has also signed a MOU with NSDC for developing industry led courses in the field of skill development, thereby ensuring the participation of industries in the process of course development and its execution.

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

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industry Cover ss tory peak

Let’s Walk the Talk

Successive governments since Independence have vowed in the name of minority education and their educational institutions, but little meets the eye. K S Narayanan delves deeper into the ticklish issue

I

ll-conceived notions and stereotyping communities have been age-old traits of our society. People often take undue pride in such prejudices and thus abet spreading canards.

Vested interests have often held different minority communities and their affairs to ransom through overt and covert means. One of such favourite targets remain the minority educational institutions, and it is commonplace to see belittling comments about those, both in social gatherings and now the all-pervasive social media.

However, a closer look at the contribution of minority educational institutions across the country only at-

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tests their deep sense of engagement in spreading the light of literacy towards promoting equality and empowerment in the post-Independence India. A significant nation-building process cannot be forgotten despite hoarse prime-time debates on 24x7 news channels every now and then.

Unfortunately, the media focus in terms of covering minority communities is limited to the events and politics surrounding victimisation, persecution or communal flare-ups, and seldom highlights the positives like the significant role played by their educational institutions. As per the 2001 census, the major minorities in India include Muslims (14 per cent), Christians

(2.34 per cent), Sikhs (1.86 per cent), Buddhists (0.77 per cent), Jains (0.41 per cent) and Parsis (negligible). The census put the overall percentage of religious minorities in the country at around 18.4 per cent of the total population.

Understanding that illiteracy is one of the major contributors to poverty in any socio-religious community is no rocket science. The literacy rate of Muslim females is only 50.1 per cent, which is significantly lower than all other minorities and the national average for all religious communities in India. According to the 2001 Census, total literacy rates of Hindus stood at 65.1 per cent, Muslims 59.1 per cent,

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

still well below the national average in terms of income, education and levels of influence in society. Acknowledging this, a committee under the chairmanship of Justice Rajinder Sachar was constituted to look into the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community in India and suggest solutions.

According to findings of the report, submitted in November 2006, a fourth

as in technical and higher education.

This was probably the first attempt to analyse the condition of the Muslim community using large-scale empirical data. It clearly brought to fore the relative deprivation of Muslims in India in various dimensions including employment and education. Similarly, an analysis of patterns and trends by Rakesh Basant, Professor of Economics, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad,

A closer look at the contribution of minority educational institutions across the country only attests their deep sense of engagement in spreading the light of literacy towards promoting equality and empowerment in the post-Independence India

Christians 80.3 per cent, Sikhs 69.4 per cent, Buddhists 72.7 per cent and for others it is 47 per cent. Since the community-wise data of literacy segregated on the basis of religion has not been released for the 2011 census, we have to depend on the 2001 census data.

The overall level of literacy of the country has increased from 61 per cent in 2001 to 74 per cent in 2011, the latest census data shows. It is, however, disappointing that states with a large population of Muslims such as UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam still continue to lag behind other states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra in terms of literacy. Even though compared to the overall population of the country, a higher per centage of the Muslim population lives in urban areas, their participation in education continues to be much lower than the general population.

There are many individual success stories that exist among all minority communities, including Muslims, the largest minority. But, it is they who are

of Muslim children in the age group of 6-14 years have either never attended school or are drop-outs. For children above the age of 17 years, the educational attainment at matriculation level is 17 per cent as against the national average of 26 per cent. Only 50 per cent of Muslims, who complete middle school, are likely to complete secondary education, compared to 62 per cent at national level. The report has also drawn attention to the low levels of educational attainment among Muslim women, Muslims in rural areas as well

points to the relatively low levels of participation of Muslims in the education space despite seeing an improvement in recent years. The situation in urban areas, however, remains poor especially for Muslim males. “The community does not fully appreciate the rewards of education even as returns to education are high and household endowments along with location play a critical role in determining the participation of Muslims in education,� the analysis read.

In this backdrop, digital Learning

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

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industry Cover ss tory peak

While the realisation of “educating a woman is educating a generation” may exist in some quarters of society, the translation of this idea into action has been largely missing profiled some of the leading minority educational institutions across the country, especially those run by the Muslim community, and found that stakeholders including the community, government, legislature, civil society and the corporate sector, are doing their bit to improve the educational status of minorities.

Set up in 2004, the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) has the mandate to safeguard the educational rights of the minorities in India. “We have issued approximately 10,000 minority status certificates to minority educational institutions. We have also made certain recommendations to the state governments concerned for safeguarding the educational rights of minority guaranteed under the Constitution. Some of

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the state governments have assured us that orders passed by this Commission shall be implemented,” NCMEI chairperson MSA Siddiqui said when asked how successful the Commission has been in achieving its objective. “This Commission has created confidence among minorities about protection of their constitutional rights,” he added.

Over the decades, successive governments have taken steps to improve the ecosystem for improving the educational status of the minority community. The UPA Government also initiated steps to improve the socioeconomic and educational status of minority communities in the country through the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities. This was an overarching programme that covered various schemes

and initiatives of different ministries and departments by either earmarking 15 per cent of targets and outlays for the minorities or through specific monitoring of flow of benefits to minorities or areas with substantial minority population.

The incumbent NDA government is also stepping up its efforts. Reacting to the BJP-led government’s projects for a skilled India, Sayyid Ibrahimul Khalilul Bukhari, founder of Ma’din Academy located at Mallapuram in Kerala, said that the government’s allocation of Rs 100 crore for modernisation of Madrasas is a welcome move. “We expect that the educational development activities will be more inclusive and accountable in the Modi government,” he added.

Presenting the Union budget for 2014-15, Finance minister Arun Jaitley assured funds for minority welfare.

Allocations for various minority-related schemes under four Union ministries — Home, HRD, Civil Aviation and External Affairs — have also been jacked up by 15.17 per cent from ` 4,049.73

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crore in 2013-14 to ` 4,669.29 crore in this year’s budget.

Leaders in the field of education for minority communities across the country, however, want the government to allocate more funds for minority education, set up quality institutes, implement policies and schemes timely, and undertake disbursal of scholarships and bank loans. Dr M A Khatkhatay, General Secretary and a founder member of Modern Educational Social and Cultural Organisation (MESCO), Mumbai, called for a concerted and multifaceted impetus to the minorities. “The government should publicise various welfare schemes. More importantly, all welfare schemes of the central government should be time-bound. This entails a process where any application of grant-in-aid should be sanctioned or rejected within six months after the date of submission. Funds sanctioned under central schemes should be directly transferred to the NGOs’ account, like the scheme of cash in lieu of subsidy through Aadhaar card,” he said.

There is a growing feeling in the minority communities that in order to ensure these measures, they should be made part of the decision-making process and have a greater say in government bodies in the education sec-

There is a growing feeling in the minority communities that they be made part of the decision-making process and have a greater say in government bodies in the education sector tor. Abdur Rahaman Ansary, General Secretary of All Bengal Federation of Minorities’ Educational Institutions, wants a central board of minority educational institutions, an autonomous body that provides, promotes, assists and grants recognition to minority educational institutions from the elementary to college levels. Bukhari further called for setting up of more educational institutions and realisation of more infrastructural development in areas which are socially and educationally backward, especially in eastern and northern India.

Educating a woman is educating a generation. While this realisation may exist in some quarters of society, the translation of this idea into action has been largely missing. In order to study the low rate of literacy among Muslim females (at 50.1 per cent), the NCMEI constituted a committee on girls education under Dr Shabistan Ghaffar.

According to her, there are several challenges and issues related to girls’ education. “When we talk to parents,

we find that they are very hesitant in sending their girls to schools because of several reasons, including lack of female teachers and unavailability of toilets,” she pointed out. The committee has given more than 30 recommendations to the government.

Community sensitisation has been among the major challenges identified by the NCMEI’s Committee on Girls Education. The role of civil society in the process of community development is increasing with the passage of time, and the central and state governments are allocating huge funds in the social sector. However, there is a dearth of non-government organisations working exclusively among Muslims and Buddhist communities.

Moreover, most of the NGOs working with a genuine intent and drive lack due capacity in terms of information, training, documentation and resource management.

While the approach of stakeholders towards improving education for minority communities is positive, the pace definitely needs to gather some momentum. It is important to realise that minorities in India are a major section of the contemporary India. It is in their success that the success of India lies.

While HRD minister Smriti Zubin Irani’s announcement of devising a new education policy should address these and several other issues, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, which has come to power riding the plank of development, should also look at educating and skilling all sections of society for ‘better days’ for a truly inclusive India.

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

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industry Leader sspeak peak

‘Current Challenges are Accessibility, Quality and Equality’ It is only through education that minorities can join the mainstream, believes Justice M S A Siddiqui, Chairman, National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions. In an interview to ENN, he says that the salvation of minority communities lies in acquiring strong knowledge economies powered by information technology, innovation and education It has been a decade since the National Commission for National Minority Educational Institutions was established. Was the mandate of safeguarding the educational rights of the minorities a challenge? What are the achievements so far?

The National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act 2004 was established for safeguarding the educational rights of minorities enshrined in the Article 30 (1) of the Constitution. This Act has created a new dispensation for expeditious disposal of cases relating to grant of affiliation by the affiliating universities, grant of minority status, certificates to minority educational institutions, violations and deprivations of educational rights of minorities enshrined in Article 30 (1) of the Constitution. This Commission has been vested with judicial powers and the authority to adjudicate all matters enumerated under the Act without being bogged down by the technicalities of the code of civil procedure. This Commission has successfully achieved its objectives. We have issued approximately 10,000 minority status certificates to minority educational institutions. We have also made certain recommendations to the state governments concerned for safeguarding the educa-

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tional rights of minorities guaranteed under the Constitution. Some of the state governments have assured us that orders passed by this Commission shall be implemented. This Commission has created a sense of confidence among the minorities about protection of their constitutional rights.

ply to minority educational institutions governed under Article 30 (1) of the Constitution. A minority educational institution is also exempted from the policy of reservation in admission and employment. So, these are the benefits which a minority educational institution is entitled to, provided it has been declared so either by the legislature, the Parliament, the central or state governments or by this Commission. Except them, there is no authority to declare a minority educational institution.

So far as the state of UP is concerned,

are members of that community which has established it. If that does not reflect, then the institution will be treated as a secular institution and not a minority institution.

Which, according to you, are the current challenge areas that need immediate attention?

What are the benefits that an The current challenges are accessibilinstitution can avail after getting ity, quality and equality. The Muslim minority status under the NCMEI? community, according to the Sachar In a landmark judgment rendered by Committee, is virtually scratching the the Supreme Court in T M A Pai Founbottom of the educational dation versus State of barrel of the country. So, Karnataka, the Supreme This Commission has successfully achieved Court has interpreted the its objectives. We have issued approximately they need special attention because they can expression ‘administer’.

10,000 minority status certificates to minority join the mainstream only They have held that this through education. I have expression, that they can educational institutions been telling the minorities also administer educationthat our salvation lies in acquiring the a division bench of the Allahabad High al institutions of their choice, comprises strong knowledge economies powered Court has held that the state governthe following rights: by information technology, innovation ment does not have the power to deThe first right is that a minority and education. Now, due to financial clare a minority institution as a minoreducational institute can constitute its crunch, the Muslim community has no ity educational institution because that own governing body or managing comaccess to higher education. The need jurisdiction rests with the Civil court. mittee without any interference from of the hour is enhancement of quality Now, this Commission is a quasi-judithe government. Secondly, a minority in education. In some southern states, cial body and it enjoys all trappings of educational institution can raise a reathe Muslim community has established a court. Therefore, this Commission is sonable fee structure for its institution. good institutions. But, in other parts of competent to declare and determine the The third right, which is a very importhe country, their educational instituminority status of a minority institutant one, is that a minority educationtions are found lacking in quality. Mition. These benefits are available only al institution can select and appoint norities should have access to quality if the institution has been declared as teaching and non-teaching staff of its education and equal opportunities must a minority educational institution. If institution, subject to the condition that be available to them to get the benefits a member of the minority community the qualification of eligibility therefore of quality education. has established an institution, it cannot shall be prescribed by the government.

As far as the Centre and state governbe presumed that it is a minority eduThat is the only area of interference and ments are concerned, they are actually cational institution unless it has been that too is in the interest of academic trying to help the minorities in general, declared so by the competent authorexcellence, which is permissible accordand Muslims in particular, to improve ity. Then what are the indicia of proof ing to the said judgment of the Supreme their quality of education. Recently, for getting a minority educational inCourt. The fourth is that they can admit in the Presidential Address, you may stitution status? First is that it must be 100 per cent students from their own have noted that the government wants established by one of the members of community. But if the institution is reto modernise Madrasa education. It the notified minority communities. Six ceiving any financial aid from the state, should be taken to be as the government communities have been notified as a then Article 29(2) obligates it to admit intends to introduce modern education minority community - Muslims, Chrisnon-minority students also to a reasonin Madrasas because a Madrasa cannot tians, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Buddhists able extent. The fifth right is that they be modernised. Only modern educaand Jains. Now, these institutions are can take disciplinary action against tion like computers, mathematics and established either by a society or by a any member of their staff. So, these are science labs can be introduced. Both trust. The Supreme Court has held that the benefits which are guaranteed to a the Centre and state governments are the Memorandum of Association of the minority institution. In addition, the very positive in their approach in this Society or the Deed of Trust must reflect Supreme Court has recently held that regard. that the beneficiaries of the institution the Right to Education Act does not ap-

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

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industry Cover ss tory peak

Breaking Taboos on Girls’ Education Educating a woman is educating a generation, believes Dr Shabistan Ghaffar, Chairperson, Committee on Girls Education, National Commission For Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI), who has made tremendous efforts in breaking various taboos on girls’ education in the Muslim community. In an interaction with ENN, she says education is a weapon which can take nations ahead and women can play a decisive role in this progress. Excerpts from the interview How challenging is the task of empowerment of minority women through education?

Well, it is challenging every time when one talks of women empowerment.

Women, regardless of religion, region or colour are a minority within minority. Every time she raises her voice for equality, even in terms of educational empowerment, she has to struggle and convince every layer of society for her rights. Sometimes, even if parents are motivated to provide education to girls, certain social taboos in the name of religion, culture and region prohibit them from doing so.

As Chairperson, Committee on Girls’ Education, NCMEI, what are the recommendations that have you made?

A number of suggestions and proposals have emerged during close interactions of NCMEI members and its Committee on Girls’ Education with policymakers, regulators, stakeholders, social activists, functionaries of NGOs, community leaders and the like. We gave more than 30 recommendations to the government. These included scholarships, open schooling, distance learning, community college, hostels, teachers training, expansion of Hunar scheme and recognition of Muslim women artisans. Most of these recommendations have been implemented by the ministry.

What according to you is the state of minority education for girls in the country?

The state of minority education in India is generally regarded as unsatisfactory, particularly for Muslims and Buddhists, who are categorised under the most educationally backward sections of the country. Although Christians, Sikhs and Parsis are deemed as educationally better off, they have their own specific issues and problems with regard to education. In spite of being the largest minority group in India, the Muslim community is also faced with immense

tribulations, especially in the field of education where it cascades behind.

Dearth of suitable educational institutions and lack of proper infrastructure in Muslim-dominated localities is one of the most recurring inadequacies which have had a bearing on the community’s educational attainments for a long time.

How do you see the work of civil society and educational institutions in promoting education?

Community sensitisation is one of the major steps taken by the NCMEI’s Committee on Girls Education. The role of civil society in the process of community development is increasing with the passage of time and the central and state governments are allocating huge funds in the social sector. However, there is a dearth of non-government organisations working exclusively among the Muslim and Buddhist communities. For other minorities such as Christians and Sikhs, quite a good number of NGOs are working and serving the interest of the members of the respective communities.

Therefore, there is need to motivate local Muslim activists to form associations committed to community development in large numbers. Moreover, most of the NGOs already serving the community lack due capacity in terms of information, training, documentation and resource management.

Formoreinformationpleaselogontowww.ncmei.gov.in

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Conference Awards

Expo

22nd August 2014 New Delhi

About PSU Summit: Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) play a very important role in the Indian Economy. Over the past decade, their contribution to the national economy has been phenomenal. Elets PSU Summit 2014 conference, awards and expo aims to focus on the exemplary work being done by the stakeholders of the PSU sector, highlighting innovations of this sector along with the prevailing opportunities and challenges.

Key Speakers @ past events

A N Sahay CMD, Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd

Rakesh Tandon Additional Member, Railway Board

Sunil Kumar CMD, Centre for Railway Information Systems

R K Bahuguna CMD, RailTel Corporation India Ltd

Vimal Wakhlu CMD, TCIL

K Gururaja Rao CMD, Gujarat Informatics Limited

S K Tripathi CMD, MSTC

Arup Roy Chowdhury CMD, National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd

Anil Kumar CMD, Bharat Electronics Ltd

A K Purwaha CMD, Engineers India Ltd

A K Jain MD, REIL

Vishal Dev CMD, Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation

B Venkatesham CMD, Andhra Pradesh State Housing Corporation

V P Agrawal Former CMD, Airports Authority of India

Neeru Abrol CMD, National Fertilizers Ltd

Gopal Singh CMD, Central Coalfields Ltd

R K Upadhaya Former CMD, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd

And many more...

PSU Awards: • • • • •

Government to Government (G2G) Project Government to Business (G2B) Project Government to Citizens (G2C) Project Financial Inclusion Initiative Innovative mining technology solution

• • • • •

Initiative in power sector Initiative in transportation sector Effective Utility Service Innovative ICT Implementation Usage of ICT In Urban Development

And many more...

For Enquiry Contact: Nayana Singh, nayana@elets.in, Mob: +91 - 8860651642 | Kartik Sharma, kartik@elets.in, Mob: +91-8860651635 Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd. 7A/7B, 5th floor, Tower – 2, C-25, Sector - 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201309, Phone: 0120-4812600 | Fax: 0120 4812660

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cover story

A Destination for Care and Excellence Set up after a Moplah rebellion 93 years ago, the JDT Islam orphanage continues to work towards uplifting orphans and underprivileged children through free education and aspires to bring more children under its fold. ENN reports

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stablished in the Malabar region in 1922 for the rehabilitation of children orphaned in the Moplah rebellion in 1921, Jam’iyyat Da’wa Tablighul Islam, better known as the JDT Islam Orphanage, is a charitable and a cosmopolitan educational institution.

There is an interesting background as to how the JDT came into being. Prior to the setting up of the institution, a majority of the population in the region were living in abject poverty, except for a few land-

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lords. The peasants had no right to their property except to cultivate after paying a fixed portion to the landlord as ‘pattam’.

What followed was the Malabar revolt of 1921 that left about 10,000 dead and thousands of children orphaned.

Inspired by an article written in The Hindu by freedom fighter Mohammed Abdurehman, Abdul Khader Kasoori, a philanthropist from Lahore in the then undivided Punjab, went to Malabar in the 1920s and took up the initiative to purchase land and establish JDT, their first such initiative.

What began as an orphanage with the intention to provide shelter, food and care for the unfortunate offsprings of the bygone Malabar Rebellion has today made its mark spreading education in the Malabar region. Such has been the journey of the JDT group that it was bestowed with the National Award for Child Development by President Pranab Mukherjee in 2011.

Over the years, JDT has grown 27 institutions under its management offering 70 courses under various streams and offers courses that include B. pharma,

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members, around 1,109 are women and the remaining 412 are male employees.

The JDT Group also offers fee concessions, free hostel accommodation and priority in employment to women students. Due to tie-ups with various industries for placement of students and training of staff, Kunhimohammed claims most engineering students are absorbed through campus interviews. “In addition, we are conducting job fairs and recruitment drives by inviting different employers. Our students are employed in various firms in and outside India,” he adds. Besides existing vocational courses, JDT Group also conducts different courses under the modular employment scheme of the central government.

In an effort to improve the employability of their students, the group has now submitted a proposal to the Centre for sanction of a Community Polytechnic. The JDT High School has also received an amount of `25 lakh as a porD. pharma, B. Sc, Nursing, Poly Diplomas, B. Com, BBA, Multi media and Biotechnology. The group also set up an Industrial Training Institute in 1978, Information Technology Centre in 2005, School of Nursing in 2007 and a Community college in 2011. With the introduction of new courses, the intake of students has also increased in the new academic session. “Every year, the student intake is around 2,600 and continues to increase with additional number of courses intro-

JDT Islam has journeyed a long way and is known for spreading education in the Malabar region duced at every new academic session,” C P Kunhimohammed, Chairman and President of JDT Islam Group of Institutions points out.

With high literacy rates in Kerala, women form a major chunk of JDT’s faculty strength. Of the total 1,521 faculty

tion of grant by the central government through its Infrastructure Development Scheme for minority institutions. To inspire students and teachers of the group towards new horizons, JDT also organises a talent show annually in the areas of art, handicraft, social, antiques, collections, science etc. Around 20,000 students and teachers of JDT’s 27 institutions participate in the talent show.

“We need the government to introduce scholarship programmes to for orphans undergoing vocational and professional schemes, sanction more finance to establish courses funds for institutions for infrastructure and financial assistance to minority community,” says Kunhimohammed, seeking greater support and encouragement from the government. It is high time such philanthropic organisations engaged in uplifting the weak and downtrodden were funded well.

For more information please log on to www.jdtislam.org

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cover story

A Foundation for the Future Ascent through education lasts a lifetime. It was a realisation of this fact that guided Haji Ajmal Ali earn people’s goodwill through welfare measures like building schools, hospitals and providing scholarships to students in the communally-sensitive Nagaon district of Assam

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ixty six years since India got its independence, poverty, illiteracy, social inequalities, lack of proper health care and violence continue to plague India.

Though true, many such observations are often brushed aside as a cynic’s cliché. The reason largely being urban India’s growing indifference against social, educational and geographical inequalities. Although this stands true for most of the country, the lack of access to basic and higher education in north-eastern states only spells out the failure of successive governments in addressing this issue.

Despite all odds, Assam-based Ajmal family, however, dreams of a state where education is accessible to all - irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Their dream is to take education to the stu-

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dents of rural India at an affordable cost, cutting across the barriers of expensive education in the metros and other cities of the country.

In 2006, the Ajmals established Maryam Ajmal Women’s college of Science & Technology, Hojai in Nagaon.

The college offers higher secondary education in science stream and graduation degrees in science and humanities. The college was established by Ajmals (Mohammed Amiruddin Ajmal, Mohammed Fakhruddin Ajmal, Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal, Mohamed Sirajuddin Ajmal and Late Nazir Ajmal) in memory of late Maryam-un-Nessa Ajmal. The primary idea behind setting up these institutes was to perpetuate education by empowering women and enabling them to be equal participants in the rapidly changing scientific and technological

scenario that has swept the world.

Locals say that Maryam-Un-Nessa had devoted her entire life for the empowerment of rural women by supporting girls for education, providing marriage aid for girls, working towards self-sufficiency of women and undertaking awareness initiatives for capacity building etc. In line with her efforts to encourage girl students towards getting educated, the foundation also provides financial support to girls from poor family backgrounds, scholarships for meritorious girls and special exemption for girls from remote areas and SC & STs. “The will to happiness is universal but in most cases it remains a far cry due to the domination of the class with vested interests who reap undue and unearned benefits and largesses at the cost of the deprived, the marginalised, the destitute and the poor. Real social progress will remain a mirage if a large segment of our population remains uneducated, poor and sick. It is here that people and organisations with a zeal for public welfare play the most pivotal role at social transformation.

The Ajmal family strongly believes in helping people know how to fish rather than giving them a fish,” says Mohamed Sirajuddin Ajmal, Director, Ajmal Group of Companies, who is also actively involved in community services.

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The Ajmals today run multiple charitable programmes under Markazul Ma’arif, Haji Majid Memorial Public trust, Ajmal Foundation and the Ajmal Group of Colleges. Through these organisations, they have established relief and rehabilitation centers, orphanages, multi-specialty charitable hospitals, schools and colleges across Assam.

Asked whether the college is able to attract students and quality faculty in the face of students from the north east flocking to bigger metropolis like Delhi, Mohamed Sirajuddin replies in the affirmative. An important reason behind this is their focus on safety and security of girls, a conducive academic environment, individual attention, personality development and crucially, the brilliant result of students. “We also conduct Ajmal National Talent Search Examination (ANTSE), which is a national level talent testing examination conducted every year for students from the third standard to degree levels. The intent is to inculcate a competitive mindset among the students, recognise their talents, provide scholarships and cash awards. This also helps us attract talent,” he says.

Despite the goodwill enjoyed by the Ajmals, setting up the colleges and operating them was no cakewalk. The foremost challenge that the Ajmals faced was lack of awareness among the guardians and students. Motivating students and parents towards higher studies in science was a tall ask. This was apart from tracking different verticals like higher education, school education, distance and open learning, vocational educational, skill training and leveraging the scope of ICT in education.

Things, however, look promising today with students intake at the Maryam Ajmal Women’s college of Science & Technology rising from a mere 18 in 2006 to 457 in 2014.

Furthering their dream to take education to remote areas and to those who could not pursue higher studies for various reasons, the Ajmal Foundation provides them an opportunity through its study centre of Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University (KKHSOU).

They also have smart classrooms and satellite audio-visual interactive classroom for civil service examinations besides other facilities.

Looking ahead, the foundation wants establishment of universities for minorities or the expansion of the campus of Aligarh Muslim University in minority concentrated states like Assam, West Bengal, UP, Bihar, Kerala etc. for improving the access and quality of education in the state. They also seek new Jawahar Navodaya Model Schools in minority concentrated districts, model colleges and ITIs in minority concentrated blocks, more placementlinked Ajeevika model projects for minorities through the Ministry of Minority Affairs and scholarship facilities for minority students for higher studies, especially for girls. In terms of improving infrastructure, the foundation also wants the government to look into construction of hostels for minority boys and girls in all cities, towns, subdivisions, municipalities and adjacent areas of major educational institutions.

Allocation of land for minority educational institutions, etc also feature on their list of expectations.

Nagaon district in Assam is a hot bed for communal unrest. However, welfare activities by the Ajmal family in the area has not only helped them expand their business empire and increase their popularity among people, it has also propelled them into a political force. Maulana Badruddin Ajmal of the Ajmal clan who founded the Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF), now the All India United Democratic Front, is currently a Member of Parliament from Dhubri constituency in Assam. He plans to set up a medical college in Hojai and a university in Guwahati. One hopes these measures and initiatives gain momentum and help the cause of promoting education in every nook and corner of the state.

Formoreinformationpleaselogontowww.ajmalfoundation.org

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Cover story

Accelerating the Nation-Building Process Despite receiving several lucrative offers, Mahbubul Hoque decided to begin his career as an educational entrepreneur. In 2001, he established the Education Research and Development Foundation (ERDF), Guwahati, with an inspiration to spread education to every nook and corner of society irrespective of caste, creed and religion. ENN tracks the journey

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aving lost his parents at an early age, Mahbubul Hoque led a turbulent life since childhood. Managing his educational expenses by taking tuitions, he passed his matricula-

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tion with high marks, graduated from GC College, Silchar and went on to complete his MCA from Aligarh Muslim University.

With a strong determination to change the educational scenario of the north-eastern region, he decided to begin his career as an educational entrepreneur despite having received lucrative job offers from multi-nations in India and abroad. He established the Central IT college in 2001 and began operations with just one computer and four students. For the purpose of generating funds, Mahbubul even had to assemble computers.

However, with the mission clear in his head, Mahbubul founded the Educational Research and Development Foundation (ERDF) that enabled him to achieve new milestones in the field of educational infrastructure. He established the Regional College of Higher Education in 2007, a professional college affiliated to North Eastern Hill University, Shillong. This institute has secured top positions in all examinations conducted by NEHU. In an attempt to enable rural education capture new heights in the remotest parts of Assam, he further set up two

Central public schools affiliated to the CBSE in Karimganj, his home town. His endeavours did not stop here, and in 2009, he went on to establish the Regional Institute of Science and Technology (RIST), a state-of-the-art engineering college approved by the AICTE and affiliated to NEHU, Shillong.

His dream project of the University of Science and Technology in Meghalaya where he serves as Chancellor, however, was realised only when the Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya enacted the 2011 USTM Act. Through focussed studies conducted by leading academicians and scientists on the educational needs of the region, the university looms set to transform the north-east into a tech-savvy region. ERDF has also been working towards capacity-building among young graduates aspiring for the IAS, GATE, NET and other competitive examinations conducted by the UPSC and other government agencies.

The Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Centre for Coaching and Guidance and ‘HOQUE 20’ are steps in this very direction. The philosophy behind setting up ERDF was to produce quality manpower that can uplift the region and accelerate the nation-building process. This, the founder believes, can be achieved through streamlining education from KG to PG, promoting research, science and tech-

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ment of the Committee on Girls’ Educanical education and developing strong ERDF VISION 2016: tion, National Commission for Minority leadership.

D To set up a centralised Educational Institutions (NCMEI).

Prior to the time when the institute women’s hostel with In further impetus to promoting educame into existence, there were hardly library and coaching cation, the university provides 100 per any options available for professional facilities for administrative cent tuition fee waiver for students of courses in the region. As a result, these services. families below poverty line, and 33 per institutions today are educating students D To set up eight new CBSEcent reservation for girls in all educationright from the KG level up to the universiaffiliated schools in the al institutions. There is also a merit-cumty. Domains of the academic programme rural minority dominated means scholarship for female students. are CBSE affiliated till class tenth and for areas The ratio of boys and girls in ERDF institwelfth in science and commerce. Other D To set up two coachtutions stands at a healthy 4:6. courses include engineering, manageing and career guidance ment, computer science, biotechnology, centres for administrative applied sciences, environmental sciences, The Challenges services, employment and electronics, sociology, public administraAttracting best talent, both in terms of admission at Barak Valley tion, disaster management, education, student intake as well as faculty and and Guwahati. psychology, economics, rural developadministrative positions, is quite a chalD Two ITI s for women ment, social work and library and inforlenge for any newly-formed institution. mation sciences. Engineering, biotechHowever, in the case of institutes under nology and management are the most project works and field studies for our ERDF, not only have they been able to sought after courses in the university students. The university is also in the attract a core group of dedicated and that has a total student strength of 5,000 process of getting more collaborations talented persons matching industry as compared to the four students they with US-based universities and organstandards, they have also managed to started with. The total faculty strength isations for higher education and placeretain these people. Interfacing with also stands at an impressive 270. ments. Placing freshers today is indeed the industry and maintaining effective Educating girls, especially among a big challenge. However, with the aplinkages with all stakeholders has been the minority communities, propriate internship prohas been a challenge not grammes and field expojust for the government, The prevalence of the social evils such as child sures, grooming and soft but also for institutes. The and early marriage of girls in minority families skills training, ERDF has prevalence of the social been largely successful in both among the educated and non-educated evils such as child and earthis department. class prevents girls from getting higher ly marriage of girls in mi“We are in a very nority families both among positive mode, and afeducation the educated and non-edter a long time in India, ucated class prevents girls from getting we have a government which appears a hallmark for the ERDF group of instihigher education. To break this barrier, to be striking the right chord, cutting tutions. Formal tie-ups, MOUs as well as ERDF has started a women’s college in across all sections of the society” says informal links are established with R&D a minority-concentrated district of AsERDF founder Mahbubul Hoque. This institutions, industries both at the nasam. This, the founder says, has only has been reflected in the recent budget tional and state level to accommodate been possible through the encouragethat emphasised on Madrasa modernitraining and development, internship, sation. “It is a very good initiative, but we also have to take into account the fact that only three to four percent students are going to Madrasas. A major chunk of children either drop out from schools or do not go at all,” he adds. Focussed initiatives from the government and an emphasis on general education in minority-dominated areas through establishing quality need-based institutions could indeed go a long way in improving access of education for those who need it the most.

For more information please log on to www.erdf.edu.in

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industry cover ss tory peak

Catalysts of Socio-Economic Transformation

Having begun with an inspiration to meet the challenges of education in rural India, the Teerthanker Mahaveer University today strives to become the ultimate destination for world-class education

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small number of schools, unimpressive infrastructure, limited resources and lackluster faculty are some of the many issues that have, over the years, hampered access to education for many in the boondocks of India. Place these issues in the context of minority education and you get a gloomy picture.

They say it takes an optimist to find inspiration in adverse situations. The founders of Moradabad-based Teerthanker Mahaveer University (TMU) set one such example. The inspiration behind setting up this institution stems from the very issues that have plagued the spread of education in India. Prem Prakash Jain (father of the current university Chancellor Suresh Jain) was a teacher by profession, and a passionate one at that. What troubled his passion for teaching, however, was the limitation of resources and the absolute dearth of schools with a decent infrastructure.

This inspired his son Suresh Jain to dedicate his life to his father’s dream of upliftment of society through quality

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education. He decided to convert his village residence into a school, which soon turned into a hub for teaching activities in the rural area and is today known as the Madan Swarup Inter College, imparting education to about 3,000 children in Hariyana, Moradabad.

Setting up of an institute with a vision to impart professional education to the students of Moradabad was another milestone in this journey. Suresh’s endeavour soon began bearing fruits with the establishment of Teerthanker Mahaveer Institute of Management & Technology (TMIMT) in 2001 to offer programmes such as BBA, BCA, MCA, MBA, B.Ed, M.Ed and B.Sc. (Home Science) which brought employment opportunities for the young aspirants.

Seven years later, Teerthanker Mahaveer University finally came into existence in 2008. Set up as a Jain minority state private university established by Act No. 30 of 2008 of the Government of Uttar Pradesh and approved by University Grants Commission (UGC) under Section 2(f), the university is located on National Highway-24 and is barely 144 km from New Delhi. The university stands committed to the ideals of Lord

Awards and Recognition 2 “The Best Private University of India Award” constituted

by Journalists Federation of India in September 2012 2 “Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award” for Best Higher Education Institution by Pehchan-International Social Organisation in August 2013 2 “CIDC Vishwakarma Award 2013” for outstanding contribution towards “Mission Skilling India” by Construction Industry Development Council and CIDC Partner in Progress Trophy 2014 Mahaveer i.e. right philosophy, right knowledge, and right conduct in all its operations. The university aims and aspires to be recognised as an ultimate destination for world-class education.

The driving force behind this gigantic task of setting up the university is Chancellor Suresh Jain, who along with the Group Vice-chairman Manish Jain, continues to strive to raise its status to a world-class university. At present,

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over 100 programmes are being offered at under-graduate, post-graduate and doctoral levels through 17 on-campus colleges and six independent teaching departments in the disciplines of management, dental, medical, engineering, computing sciences, pharmacy, nursing, para-medical sciences, physiotherapy, architecture, law, journalism, education, physical education, agriculture sciences, home science, social work, hospital administration, fine arts, language studies and Jain studies. Programmes in medical, dental and engineering are the most sought after among these.

From a humble beginning of 1,055 in 2008-09 in the first academic session, TMU today provides education to more than 14,000 students from almost

all states of the country, which includes around 100 foreign students from Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Maldives. This not only gives a pan-India outlook, but also promotes a multi-cultural environment for learning. The number of boys and girls are in 75:25 ratio. Out of the total strength of the students, 30 percent belong to minority communities.

The academic programmes are designed and reviewed in consultation with professional organisations and industry experts in order to provide a strong academic rigour and industrial perspective.

These courses are delivered by a faculty known for its dedication to teaching and research and with close ties with the national/international academic and business communities. The initial faculty

strength of 100 in 2008-09 has now increased to 750. The core strength of the faculty comes from the rich diverse group of men and women who are leaders in their respective fields. Some of these faculty members are educated abroad and also have research to their credit.

The university has provisions for liberal scholarship schemes and a safe and secure environment, which has resulted in a progressive increase in the enrollment of girl students in general and from the Muslim community in particular. In a short span of time, TMU has emerged as a catalyst in socio-economic transformation of the region and is nurturing professionals who are competent to meet the diverse needs of society and industry.

For more information please log on to www.tmu.ac.in

‘Set Measurable Objectives with Definite Timeline’

The country has high hopes from the new government at the Centre, says Suresh Jain, Chancellor of Teerthanker Mahaveer University. In an interaction with ENN, he stresses upon the need for identifying more measurable objectives with a definite timeline to gauge the effectiveness of efforts made by the state and central governments. Excerpts from an interview

Barring a few, why is it that many minority institutions do not become popular or sought after?

Most of the minority institutions offer few courses - either in engineering, management or medical field. The students are doubtful about the quality of education imparted there.

Though TMU is also a minority university, there is a wide variety of programmes on offer. This is why students are eager to join this university for quality education.

What were the challenges of management while setting up and in operating the institute and university?

The first challenge was to find the possibility to provide education to the increasing number of students who aspire to

get higher education at par with global standards. Designing a curriculum in accordance with the higher education policy of the government was another challenge. Availability of resources was also one of the hurdles we faced.

Does your institute manage to attract best talent available? Do you believe that you can match industry standards?

Due to the quality of education that we are providing at an affordable cost, TMU manages to attract best talent available.

The curriculum has been designed and is updated from time to time in accordance with industrial needs. Provision is also made to update students as per the requirement of the industry, specific to their specialisation for technical needs.

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industry speak

What is the level of industry interface?

The University Corporate Resource Centre regularly interacts with the industry to get inputs for review and upgradation of our curriculum. Corporate meets are organised to assess the requirement of the industry and give students an insight into the working of the corporate world. It acts as an interface between industry and university.

Have you assessed whether graduates from your institution find immediate placement in corporate and government? Do they face problems?

The graduates get placement in corporate and government organisations.

Do you offer any career counselling services for students?

The University Corporate Resource Centre equips the students with necessary skills required for their employment in the industry and other organisations. This centre also organises personality development, career guidance and counseling programmes for the students so as to gear them up to take on the stiff competition in the corporate world.

Any tie-ups with other central or foreign universities to offer more courses?

The University has MOUs with the following foreign universities to enhance global prospective: Polytech Nantes (France) Vanier College, Canada Sol Bridge International Business School (South Korea) Tabesh University, Afghanistan University Jean Moullin Lyon 3, France Is your institution considering to introduce skill-

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development and vocational courses?

The University has established four state-of-the-art language labs with 240 computer terminals provided with hi-tech language software for developing basic, intermediate and business level language skills. Various short-term courses are also offered in association with leading organisations such as SAP, Oracle, Red Hat, CISCO, IL&FS, TCS, IBM, CMS, Microsoft and CIDC. In your view, have the central and state governments done enough to promote minority education?

Though the central and state governments are making efforts to promote minority education, more measurable objectives need to be set with a definite timeline to gauge the effectiveness of these efforts.

What are your expectations from the Narendra Modi government with the Prime Minister having stressed on education and a skilled India?

Education is the most important issue that any civilised society would like its government to address properly. The country has high hopes from the new government at the Centre. Certainly, through its policy and plans, it shall address the needs of education and help in skilling the youth for the present and future.

Any suggestions or grievances that you believe need to be urgently looked into?

There should be a level-playing field for private-funded educational institutions when it comes to policy and plan as compared to public-funded institutions, especially in terms of research, consulting, students scholarship grants and representation on various policy and decision-making bodies of government such as councils, boards, commissions, task force and panels.

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‘Need Better Representation in Decision-Making Bodies’ Schemes for minorities should be planned in a manner where the Centre is responsible for implementation, disbursal, monitoring and evaluation and the state government is not in the picture, says Dr Zahir I Kazi, President, Anjuman-I-Islam. In conversation with ENN, Kazi says that timely implementation of central schemes for minorities is the need of the hour. Excerpts from an interview Anjuman-I-Islam is running educational institutions for more than a century now. Do you see a shift in the aspirations of minority youth?

The shift is so visible that minority community youth do not have any inferiority complex now. They are aware of ample opportunities and challenges they have to face. This is a big shift. They realise they are part of the

competitive world and need to be gogetters.

Are minority educational institutions able to meet the growing aspirations of youngsters?

Minority educational institutions run by Anjuman take care of content and container, which translate into the quality of content and the infrastructure. We get the best of equipments and faculty for our students. Minority educational institutions (MEIs) like Anjuman Islam invest the money they get back into the institution. MEIs create a brand for themselves and for those who are associated with it. Otherwise, we would have been unable to attract students even from the minority community.

Anjuman Islam and other minority educational organisations run colleges and institutions. Why shouldn’t they try to build a university?

We have more than one hundred schools, colleges and polytechnics, and we have enough land too. But Anjuman is not getting funded by the government like Jamia Millia or Aligarh

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Muslim University. Nor are we a private company running educational services on a commercial basis. However, we are thinking of having our own university.

What is the time frame you have set to establish such a university?

We will establish it in the next five to six years.

Is Anjuman expanding abroad?

We had got offers. But nothing concrete has materialised. We are in the process of due diligence on the offers we get.

How do you view the budgetary allocation for minority education?

Frankly speaking, I have not understood the Union Budget. What I know is that in the 12th Five Year Plan, there was a certain amount to be given to minority community for education. I was the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on implementation of schemes aimed at minorities set up by the Union Human Resource Development ministry. We spent some time on that. Several problems emerged during the meetings. The central government has to talk to state governments over the implementation of central schemes. There are too many

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

speed-breakers. We have to ensure implementation of minority schemes on time. With regard to the budgetary allocation, all I can say is that it looks rosy on paper. Timely implementation of central schemes is what matters. Let

Rich History With a strong desire to see the Muslim Community advance in education and social standing, Anjuman-I-Islam was founded in 1874 by a small group of devout and progressive Muslims led by Dr Badruddin Tyabji, the third president of the Indian National Congress and the first Indian Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. 140 years in existence has seen it grow from one school to over a hundred schools, colleges and polytechnics

Anjuman is not getting funded by the government like Jamia Millia or Aligarh Muslim University me illustrate this with an example. The government has earmarked 100 girls’ hostels in the minority-concentrated districts. Now, the government has been unable to find land for the same. But if you involve organisations like Anjuman, we can take the responsibility of setting up these hostels.

Does setting up of a separate minority education board serve any purpose?

Again, it will be faced with the same problems. It will not have authority over state governments. The schemes should be planned in such a way that the Centre is responsible for implementation, disbursal, monitoring and evaluation and the state government should not be

in the picture. Currently, Centre gives 75 per cent and there are delays by state government which has to give 25 per cent. It should be funded 100 per cent by the Centre.

Would increased representation of education leaders from the community in the decisionmaking process improve the situation?

Yes. There is a case for better representation of minorities in decision-making bodies. Competent leaders from the minority community should be engaged and their inputs should be taken into account by the government while designing policies and schemes.

For more information please log on to www.anjumaniislam.org

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

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industry Cover ss tory peak

Marching Towards Progress with Education Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi, founder, Yenepoya University believes professional education opens up greater opportunities for minorities and to join the mainstream. An ENN Report

K

arnataka’s population has risen steeply in the last decade. The state ranks fifth in literacy with a sharp increase in the number of schools, colleges and IT companies. Literates out of the total population aged seven years and above stand at 75.36 per cent, up from 66.64 per cent in the last 10 years. Though educationally progressive, there were gaps in higher education (medical education in particular) for minority students in the district of Dakshina Kannada and neighbouring areas of Karnataka.

Things took a turn when Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi, Chairman of the religious minority trust Islamic Academy of Education (IAE) established in 1991, and Director at the Yenepoya Group of Companies, and a few like-minded intellectuals recognised this gap. This led to the establishment of Yenepoya Universi-

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ty, an initiative of IAE, a trust dedicated to the memory of legendary entrepreneur late Yenepoya Moideen Kunhi, who laid the basis of industrialisation in the region.

The Islamic Academy of Education (IAE) is today working the upliftment of the social, economical and educational status of the minority communities in the region. The IAE trust was created with the objective to establish and administer educational institutions, such as schools, colleges and institutes of general education, medical and dental education, engineering and commercial education. This dream was fulfilled with the help of Yenepoya University.

A minority institution, the Yenepoya University is the first private deemed university in Dakshin Kannada district and has a total intake of over 400 students with the Muslim community constituting 70 per cent of students at the medical college. Till date, 1,700 students

from minority communities have been awarded degrees by this university and other institutions under the ambit of the IAE. These institutions have also generated employment for over 3000 people from minority communities alone. The founder Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi firmly believes that professional education can provide greater opportunities for the Muslim community to join mainstream professional careers by utilising their knowledge and skills for the betterment of society.

Prior to the establishment of Yenepoya institutions, the number of minority students, especially Muslims, opting for professional courses such as medicine was limited as education in this particuar discipline was quite expensive.

The opportunities were also limited in other institutions due to fierce competition from others. For minority students in this region, the establishment of Yenepoya institutions was a dream comes

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

true as it provided an opportunity to study medicine and health science subjects in affordable way. Till date, several thousands of students from minority communities, especially women, have graduated from Yenepoya institutions and are contributing to the society in a big way.

Running several specialised courses in medicine, admission to the university is through an all-India entrance test which is held in multiple centres throughout India. The selection is based on merit, which ensures selection of right students who can match industry standards. The placements records are proof of the quality education provided at the university.

‘Yengage’, the e-learning portal for Yenepoya University was setup by the Information Technology section to support ICT-based learning for its students

Future Ready Keeping in tune with times, Yenepoya University has also undertaken instructions through digital learning and established an e-learning centre in 2011.

‘Yengage’, the e-learning portal for Yenepoya University was setup by the Information Technology section to support ICT-based learning for its students. This is an online service which facilitates the students, staff, tutors and management with a friendly and interactive environment, which will enable better learning by providing study information and learning content anytime anywhere.

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Training The E-learning centre undertakes onjob training on usage of electronic medical record-keeping, which is an essential

part of any medical hospital abroad.

The EMR modules are becoming an important feature of the Indian hospital environment. The e-learning centre at Yenepoya University started training on EMR modules for medical interns and the post-graduates as an add-on course.

The university also received a National Award ‘Certificate of Excellence’ by eINDIA for the innovative training programme on Health Information Management System (HIMS).

The Yenepoya Foundation, a unit of Yenepoya Moideen Kunhi Memorial Educational & Charitable Trust and the Yenepoya University jointly distribute academic excellence awards to students excelling in SSLC, PUC and under-graduate degree examinations and encourage them through scholarships every

year. These awards are given to students of Dakshin Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and Kasaragod district of Kerala purely on the basis of merit. Recipients of these awards are around 300 every year and the total budget allocated for this purpose is Rs 10 lakh. The award is given to individuals who score the highest percentage in their respective examinations and also to a few minority institutions which have secured 100 per cent results. The award consists of certificates and cash awards ranging from `3,000 to `10,000.

Today, Yenepoya institutions are a role model for making professional and technical education accessible, affordable and contemporary.

For more information please log on to www.yenepoya.edu.in

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

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A Quality Educational Destination With state-of-the-art infrastructure, a highly qualified faculty and several other amenities, the B.S. Abdur Rahman Institute of Science and Technology has fast emerged as a preferred destination for students across the country. An ENN report

L

ocated in the picturesque tropical forest area of Vandalur, the B S Abdur Rahman Institute of Science and Technology has been a preferred destination for students from across the country. Set up in 2008, the institute’s outcome-based syllabus, choice-based credit system and a placement record of 90 per cent are the main attractions for students and parents. Spread across 60 acres of lush green campus with over 1,50,000 sq m of lofty buildings with IGBC rating, state-of-the-art infrastructure, laboratories and students amenities, the high teaching standards and a variety of choices available in various disciplines of engineering, technology, management, architecture, life sciences, physical and chemical sciences and social sciences are some added advantages.

Salient Features Targeting to achieve 100 per cent faculty with Ph.D Thrust on research with incentives for publication of papers, books and research projects Regular review and revision of syllabus every two years Academic freedom Inter-disciplinary programmes and research projects

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The institute, which was established as a Deemed University under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956, earlier existed as a prominent engineering college of Tamil Nadu in the name of Crescent Engineering College. This institute is just one of the several institutions established in 1984 by the Founder Chancellor Alhaj Dr. B S Abdur Rahman, Chairman of the Seethakathi Trust, Chennai and President of the All India Islamic Foundation. Besides this university, the AIIF runs 13 educational institutions across Tamil Nadu.

What is notable is that this is the first Muslim minority university which has obtained an “A” Grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in the first cycle of accreditation.

The Chairman of the management board is Abdul Qadir A. Rahman Buhari, who is also an acclaimed industrialist and a visionary. Within a short span of five years, the university has obtained an extramural funding to the tune of `678 lakh and has a total of 54 projects worth `2,194 lakh in the pipeline.

In a mark of unmatched quality, the university has published over 2,401 research papers out of which 790 are in international journals of repute. The data centre with streaming servers provides access to e-resources round the clock, much to the benefit of the faculty and students.

The university has also engaged with foreign institutions and has signed MoUs with more than 28 leading overseas universities, Indian universities, institutions and industries. Collaborations with Deakin

University, Curtin University (Australia), Purdue University, Missouri State University (USA), Cambridge University, University of Central Florida, Plymouth University (UK), Universiti Teknologi Mara, UNIMAS (Malaysia), Ford, Infosys, IBM, CIPET, CII, ETA Ascon, etc. are a few among them.

The university also has a faculty training academy, an IAS training academy, a women’s empowerment cell, an Apple iOS centre, students cultural centre, Rotaract Club and NSS which make the campus vibrant. A robust feedback mechanism from students, parents and alumni has helped the university maintain high standards of teaching. The Authors Forum, a faculty body, has already written and published over 40 books and nearly 150 titles are in the process of being written. The university is also in plans to establish a Patent Cell and Innovation Centre on campus.

Students amenities include a health centre, gymnasium, excellent sports grounds and a swimming pool, a book shop, cafeterias and hostels for students on the campus. The campus also has two mosques for the convenience of Muslim students. Half of the students here are from the Muslim minority community and the rest belong to the others. About 32 per cent of the students are girls and over 65 per cent of the faculty are women. The university has a vision to emerge as one of the top ten universities of the country with at least 10 per cent international students and five per cent international faculty and collaborative research.

For more information please log on to www.bsauniv.ac.in

MUSLIM EDUCATIONAL SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ORGANISATION (Registration No:758/83, Established in the year 1983) #22‐1‐1037/1, Darulshifa, Hyderabad – 500 024, Telangana, INDIA E‐mail:mescodc@hotmail.com, Website: www.mescoeducation.com MESCO founders started institutions to achieve a high level of excellence in the standards of education and to bring the same within the reach of the needy of the society in general and minorities in particular.

The Higher education instituted at MESCO Educational Complex, Karwan, Hyderabad in sprawling campus 1. MESCO Institute of Mangement & Computer Sciences : (Estd. 1999) (Affiliated to Osmania University, Approved by AICTE, Accredited by NAAC) COURSES OFFERED: 1. MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (INTAKE 90) 2. MASTER OF COMPUTER APPLICATION (INTAKE 60) 3. BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (GENERAL) (INTAKE 50) 4. BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (COMPUTERS) (INTAKE 50) 2. MESCO College of Pharmacy 2003) (Approved by PCI, Affiliated to Osmania University) COURSES OFFERED: 1) BACHELOR OF PHARMACY (INTAKE 60) 2) PHARM ‘D’ (INTAKE 30) 3) PHARM ‘D’(PB) (INTAKE 10)

MESCO EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX #13-5-741, Mustaidpura, Karwan Road Hyd.Tel: 040 24828434 E-mail: info@mescoeducation.com, mesco_mimcs@yahoo.com,mesco.mimcs@gmail.com

industry Cover ss tory peak

An Institution with a Mission For the last 26 years, the Thassim Beevi Abdul Kader College for Women in Kilakarai of Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu is working hard to empower the Muslim girls of this not-so-developed region

T

he Thassim Beevi Abdul Kader College for Women was established in 1988 to support, uplift and empower Muslim girls. Before the institution came into being, there was no women’s college for the minority community girls in the State of Tamil Nadu. After the birth of JBAS College for Women (formerly SIET) in Chennai in 1955, until 1988, there was a big gap in Muslim women’s higher education in the state, as only well-off families of the community could afford to educate their daughters in Chennai. The birth of this institution in 1988 came as a huge relief for the Muslim girls of this region.

Today, this college is a blessing for women coming from the Muslim community. The college has completed 26 years of service in providing higher education, and many women have now received degrees from the institution.

The founding father of this college,

Sumayaa Dawood, Principal

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Partners in a Cause The institution has made significant efforts to interact with various institutions and industries, and partnered with some of them: 1. ICT academy of Tamil Nadu, Chennai 2. Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology, Tanjore 3. Tamil Nadu Food Grains Marketing Yard, Madurai 4. Regional Directorate of Employment and Training, Madurai Region 5. CMFRI, Mandapam Regional Centre 6. Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal 7. IGNOU, New Delhi

Alhaj B S Abdur Rahman, a philanthropist of Kilakarai town, dreamt of establishing a college exclusively for Muslim girls. The college was founded in 1988

by Rahman Sahib and sponsored by the Seethakathi Trust, Chennai, which has established various educational institutions par excellence. The college was named after the founder’s sister Thassim Beevi and her husband Janab Abdul Kader. She and her husband died in an accident on 24th January 1977 while returning after attending the school day function at the Crescent Residential School, Chennai. Thassim Beevi was a very enthusiastic lady who was interested in the higher education for women.

The college has made many initiatives for the past 25 years to educate poor Muslim girls by creating student welfare fund, TBEES Scholarship Scheme, private scholarships, government and minority scholarships for Muslim girls and other SC/ST scholarships for SC/ST students to support them financially.

There are two factors as to why many

minority institutions do not become popular. Firstly, there is a misconception and mindset among the non-minority communities that minorities propagate and coerce their faith. Also, the survival of self-financing minority arts and science colleges mainly depends upon the fees they collect which is not sufficient to make both ends meet.

The challenges of running a minority girls institution in a not-so-developed region like this are multi-dimensional in nature, including payment of high affiliation charges to the parent university or higher education body while introducing new programmes. As per the policy of the Government of Tamil Nadu, grant-in-aid is not given to educational institutions started after 1988. Running a college with the available finance collected by way of fees would not be of much help in running an educational institution, particularly arts and science colleges.

For more information please log on to www.thassim.in

cover story

Charting New Horizons Guided with the belief that illiteracy is the root cause of social and economic backwardness, a group of doctors in Hyderabad got together in 1983 to form the Muslim Educational Social And Cultural Organisation, an educational, social and cultural organisation for Muslims, recalls Dr Fakhrudheen Muhammed

T

he vision of the Muslim Educational Social And Cultural Organisation (MESCO) lies in enhancing the inherent skills of the community and help it develop into a live, vibrant, ambitious, positive and healthy body. The area

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where MESCO institutions are located falls in an educationally under-served area of the old city of Hyderabad, where majority of the population is Muslim.

Due to acute poverty and illiteracy, the parents here were initially reluctant to send their children to schools for modern or mainstream education. MESCO,

therefore, made special efforts to create awareness and confidence in the community to get educational enlightenment by offering different facilities at an affordable and subsidised cost through scholarships and concessions. The organisation provides opportunities for learning and instruction while endeavoring to preserve and augment faith, moral values, culture and social obligations. The resultant boost to the psyche and morale of the community helps in building individuals who are competent to take up the challenges of the modern world and develop leadership skills and qualities.

The good news is that the organisation’s efforts are being fruitfully rewarded and the students’ intake has increased ten fold. The enrollment of students has steadily improved and this is true especially for girls. Over the last 30 years, the dropout percentage of boys from Class VI has also decreased from over 40 per cent to a negligible figure. Presently, the break up of the girls and boys ratio is 45:55. In order to encourage women students, MESCO is aggressively marketing the courses run by them by offering free, subsidised scholarships and grants.

The Big Picture Minority institutions face difficulties and discrimination as far as affiliation is concerned. Therefore, a new body on the pattern of the CBSE should be created. This can help in prompt affiliation of minority-managed higher secondary schools and also maintain their standards. The government should also look to establish a large number of higher secondary schools in minority populated areas.

Furthermore, some institutions, which are not being run properly for want of funds and facilities, may be taken over by the government with the consent of the management, if necessary, for a limited period. This will save immediate expenditure on buildings etc. and the plan can be implemented without delay.

Muslim-managed schools are generally run by members of a backward community, for a backward community and in a considerably backward milieu

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and manner. Also, there is hardly any data-based research report regarding the physical and academic condition of schools in the localities largely inhabited

by Muslims. Till date, there has been no comprehensive survey on enrollment, dropout rate and the learning achievements of Muslim children in the two kinds of schooling systems - Madarsa and public. Information regarding the Muslim youth’s overall access to higher education opportunities, their participation in professional education, absorption in the employment market and future life accomplishments is scantily available.

Talent Crunch In terms of attracting good talent, our institutions do manage to do so. However, we have been unable to retain them due to intense competition and the absence of encouragement or financial assistance provided by statutory bodies. Though we strive to keep the standards high to meet the industry requirements, the expectations are very high and no handicap support is considered. Despite the limitations, we train and nurture talent to meet the professional and corporate culture of the industry.

Ours is a management institute with a decade-old standing. On-campus job place-

Expectations from the Narendra Modi government D Stronger Right to Education (RTE) D Focus on increasing quality of education and training D Create employment opportunities D Transparent and effective spending of educational funds D Introduce nationwide uniform curriculum for stronger education base.

D Hunar Scheme should be implemented countrywide through NIOS

The process of getting educational loans for Muslim students in particular is very cumbersome

ments are very competitive and we attract high levels of corporate attention. We have a full-fledged placement officer in the faculty who interacts with the industry and arranges regular campus placements and interviews. However, we do not have any support as far as government jobs are concerned. To cater to the needs of students in general, and Muslim students in particular, the Mesco Centre For Advanced Learning Through Distance Mode And Research In Education (CADRE) was established in 2004 exclusively for distance education programmes of various universities.

Hurdles The process of getting educational loans for Muslim students in particu-

lar is very cumbersome. One reason is the fact that Muslims are not able to provide collateral security to the banks for such loans. Banks, as a result, appear to be reluctant to provide loans to Muslim students without heavy security.

As a matter of state policy, the students who get admission to professional courses should get interest-free bank loans on the sovereign guarantee of the state. The economic status of parents should not matter in such cases.

The author is Secretary, Muslim Educational Social And Cultural Organisation (MESCO), Hyderabad.

For more information please log on to www.mescotrust.org

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

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cover story

Managing Intellectual Needs Established 113 years ago, the MEASI Association is among the oldest groups of minority educational institutions in southern India. The management institute set up under its ambit is a standalone, co-educational Muslim minority institution that emphasises on practical applications suited to the Indian environment

W

ith the objective of imparting training in different disciplines of management with an emphasis on practical applications suited to the Indian environment, the MEASI Institute of Management was established in the year 1987 by the parent body Muslim Educational Association of Southern India (MEASI). The association, established 113 years ago, was registered under the Act XXVI of 1860 and is one of the oldest minority groups of educational institutions in South India.

The genesis for the college’s establishment was a clarion call given by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in 1886, the father of Muslim education in India. As a result, in December 1901, MEASI was established with Justice Hungerford Tudor Boddam as its founder president.

This was followed by the setting up of the New College in 1951. This college today also houses the Measi Institute of Management, Measi Academy of Architecture, Measi Institute of Informa-

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tion Technology, MEASI CA Academy, Measi Matriculation Higher Secondary School and Measi College of Education.

With a clear focus on developing world-class management students, the MBA programme conducted by the MEASI Institute of Management (MIM) manages to attract the maximum number of students. The course has been approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and is affiliated to the University of Madras. Faculty strength at the institute is 16 and student intake has also been rising at a steady pace with each passing batch. In a positive, the admission process at the institute gives priority to female students.

The educational condition of minority communities in India has been a well-known fact for a number of years.

Despite the country having set up several institutes to help the cause, there are large gaps that still remain. A major drawback here is that minority institutions are not aware of various facilities that are offered by the central government. While this may be a generic problem, continual improvement is among one of the challenges of the management at MEASI - both while setting up and operating the institute and the university.

However, the institute is taking strides towards making its management students future-ready, with many already placed in good, lucrative jobs both

Student Intake 2010-2012 90 2011-2013 120 2012-2014 120

Girls and Boys Ratio Year Ratio Total Strength 2013-14 103:17 120 2012-13 112:8 120 2011-12 82:8

90

in the corporate and government sectors. A major reason for this success has been the industry interface that the students are provided with by the institute.

The MIM has done projects with MNCs/ TNCs in this regard and, as part of the curriculum, students also make visits to various industries for first-hand information on recent developments in the industrial sectors. The institute also has a counselling cell managed by the faculty from different departments.

Looking ahead, MIM is also trying to bring in some international perspective and opportunities for its students by partnering with foreign universities. This, with the collaboration of the institute with other domestic central universities, could bring MEASI closer to their objective of educating and creating an ecosystem for minority communities to learn and excel in their respective fields.

For more information please log on to www.measimba.ac.in

Quality Education meets

World Class Infrastructure

Best Private University of India Award (By Journalists Federation of India in 2012) Confessed with

“Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award”

as Best Higher Education Institutions by Pahchan - International Social organization in 2013.

More Than

A+ + Rated

Students

B School

of India & abroad.

Business & Management, MBA by Choice.

4600

125

Around Separated Hostel facility for Boys & Girls (AC/Non AC) to accommodate students.

800

More Than Programs are being offered.

2500

More Than publications & Research Papers

for all Meritorious & Special Scholarships for Jain Students

& Certified programs also conducted in University

Tie-Ups

with Solbridge International Business School (South Korea) Polytech Nantes (France), Tabesh University (Afganistan) University of Jean Moulin Lyon 3, (France) etc.

800

More Than Faculty.

Scholarships Upto 100%

SAP, CISCO, ORACLE, REDHAT, NSE, IL & FS Skills,MICROSOFT IT ACADEMY

Collaboration with

Bedded Multi & Super Speciality Hospital

14 Years of Excellence.

14000 From almost all states

Excellent Track Record of

Placement

55 hectare campus at prime location on NH-24 with 5,00,000 sq. meter

built-up area

Admission Session: 2014-15

MEDICAL

MD  M.S. 9568617000  MBBS 9568518000, 9568519000  M.Sc. (Medical) 9568116000, 9837848861

HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION

MBA (Hospital Management) 9568719000

DENTAL

MDS (All Branches) 9837848862  BDS 9568216000, 9568217000

NURSING

ANM  GNM  B.Sc. Nursing  Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing  M.Sc. Nursing (All Specializations) 9568817000, 9568818000

PARAMEDICAL

BRIT  BMLT  B.Sc. (Forensic Science)  Bachelor of Optometry (B.Optom) 9568319000, 7351318000

PHYSIOTHERAPY

BPT 7351518000

AGRICULTURE SCIENCES  B.Tech - Agricultural Engg.  B.Sc. (Hons) - Agriculture 9568618000

PHARMACY

D.Pharm.  B.Pharm. B.Pharm.(2nd Year Lateral Entry)  M.Pharm. (In Seven Branches)  Pharm.D (Only College having Pharm.D in U.P) 9568917000, 9568918000

MANAGEMENT & COMMERCE

 MBA BBA  BBA (Hons.)  M.Com.  B.Com. (Pass)  B.Com. (Hons.)  B.A. 9568416000, 9568417000, 7500317000

COMPUTING SCIENCE & IT

BCA BCA-MCA Integrated  MCA  B.Sc (Hons.) Computer Science  MCA (Lateral Entry)  B.Tech. -I.T. -CSE  B.Tech. 2nd year Lateral Entry -I.T. -CSE  M.Tech. -I.T. -CSE  B.Sc. (Animation) 9568516000, 9568517000, 7351418000

ENGINEERING

POLYTECHNIC

FINE ARTS

DIPLOMA IN ENGINEERING

BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) 9411970851, 7500316000

DIPLOMA IN ENGINEERING 2nd Year Lateral Entry (in above specializations) 9568318000, 8057817000, 8057917000

SOCIAL WORK

 Civil  Electrical  Electronics  Computer Science  Mechanical (Automobiles)  Mechanical (Production)

ARCHITECTURE (Approved NATA Test Centre) B.Arch.

9568218000, 9568219000

EDUCATION

B.Ed. M.Ed. 9568717000  BTC (Affiliated to SCERT, U.P.) 9568418000

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

B.P.Ed. 9837469801, 9568718000

LAW

 BA-LL.B. (Hons.)  BBA-LL.B.(Hons.)  B.Com. -LL.B. (Hons.)

9568118000, 9568119000

B.Tech. -EC -EE -Mechanical -Civil -Chemical  B.Tech. 2nd year Lateral Entry (in above specializations) JAIN STUDIES B.A.-Specialization in Jainology (Distance Mode)  B.Sc. (Hons.) -Maths. -Physics -Chemistry with Hindi and English or Sanskrit  M.Sc. -Mathematics -Physics -Chemistry M.A.-Jainology (Regular / Distance Mode)  M.Tech. -EC -Mechanical -Electrical 9568719000, 9568426444 9568316000, 9568317000

MSW (Master of Social Work) 9415834996, 9568819000

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The Good Samaritan

Having been forced to quit education at an early age due to financial constraints, Mamoon Akhtar and his NGO - Samaritan Help Mission - today educate thousands of underprivileged children in the Tikiapara slums of Howrah

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his is one story that never ceases to inspire.

Away from the glitz and hustle of Kolkata, one of India’s busiest and most crowded metropolitan cities, this is a soul-stirring story of one individual who, despite all odds, strives to bring change to the lives of children in a ghetto who would otherwise have had no future.

It all began on September 22, 1970, with the birth of Mamoon Akhtar in

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the slums of Tikiapara, Howrah. Born to a father who worked as a labourer at a fabrication workshop, Mamoon was pulled out of school in the seventh standard after his father lost his job and his parents could no longer afford his school fees. Mamoon, however, was determined to not let his circumstances govern his life. He took up a part-time job when he was 14 years of age to support his education and managed to study till the twelfth standard, before landing a job as a librarian at a private school. With the

help of this job, Mamoon managed to support his family of four sisters and by then, a widowed mother.

Needless to say, circumstances had been extremely challenging for him, especially considering that his left hand was affected with polio since childhood.

Mamoon, however, not only took his own life challenges in his stride, but also resolved to help the children who face challenges similar to his own. The condition of the poor children in his slum moved him. Children in Tikiapara slum were either forced to sell drugs and illicit liquor or get involved in other nefarious activities by anti-social elements of the locality. Many a times, it is the parents who forced their children into drug trade for their daily bread. Taking them on would never have been easy. However, Mamoon believed that he could protect these children if he could help them get educated.

It was with this idea that he established the Samaritan Help Mission (SHM) in 2001 and set up a small nonformal school in his ancestral house of 600 sq ft. What began with a modest number of six students is today recognised as a movement of education for the poor. Recognised by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, the

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small school now has 1,820 students and runs as a quality English medium institution for children of rickshawpullers, orphans, children with fathers in jail or whose mothers work as housemaids, and for all those who have no hope for a better future.

Despite functioning in a largely Muslim dominated locality, Mamoon does not differentiate between kids based on their religion and firmly believes in the idea of secular education. Helping people on need and not creed is his motto.

From a humble start around 14 years ago, Mamoon’s SHM has definitely come a long way. Today, the school includes classes from kindergarten to the seventh standard, with classes being upgraded every year.

Since its inception, SHM has spread its roots to helping not just children but also their parents. It has established a vocational training-cum-income generation programme for the poor women in the slum to protect them from exploitation. About 200 women are trained and employed in the unorganised sector annually through this initiative.

The Health Centers and Mobile Medical Units of SHM help treat about 600 patients on a daily basis. Mamoon’s efforts have also expanded to bringing banking services to the poor. The SHM has started a Kiosk Banking Service jointly with Indian Overseas Bank and Bank of Baroda to cover the poor unorganised labourers and community people. This part of the populace is marked as the unbanked population of Tikiapara and is thus, an easy target for chit funds. Over 2,000 women are currently covered under the umbrella of SHM’s banking services.

SHM’s other programmes include the Family Programme that began in 2002 to support the poor elderly who

Despite functioning in a largely Muslim dominated locality, Mamoon does not differentiate between kids based on their religion and firmly believes in the idea of secular education were abandoned by their children with monthly rations. 350 families get regular support under this programme.

SHM’s ambit has expanded further to include vocational training, retail training, smart industrial tailoring and other skill development trainings and placements for the unemployed youth. The efforts have started to bear fruit and a total of 450 youngsters have already been placed in the organised sector.

The target, however, is to place 2,000 every year through training and placement. Among other measures, SHM is implementing a Social Security Scheme amongst the unorganised labourers in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Government of West Bengal and is also working with the JRD Tata

Trust under its ITE Elementary Education Project to turn defunct government schools functional through the introduction of modern systems and information technology.

Over the years, Mamoon has covered huge ground and his efforts have acted as an inspiration for many. We often hear about policies and welfare measures by the government not reaching their intended beneficiaries. The people whose lives Mamoon seeks to change have remained unchanged for generations. Bringing them into the mainstream is a task that requires patience, courage and conviction. And Mamoon is in no mood to give up.

For more information please log on to www.samaritanhelpmission.org

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Against All Odds From being termed a fly-by-night operator to being accused of corrupting the minds of Muslims, Wahed Chowhan heard it all. However, societal opposition could not dither his resolve to educate the girl child in Sikar, Rajasthan. An ENN report

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he fact that education is important for everyone is not a new discovery.

The understanding that it is especially significant for girls and women is also not new. We now know that education does not only act as an entry point to other opportunities, it can have ripple effects within the family and across generations. It is a globally recognised fact that investing in girls’

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education is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty. Consider this in the context of the following example from Rajasthan.

Fifteen years ago, Wahid Chowhan, a social worker of Mumbai who hails from Sikar was on a visit to his hometown in Rajasthan. About forty per cent of the local population here consists of Muslims. There was something peculiar that he found during this visit. There was not a single school for girls in the

entire area, there were only Madrasas.

When Wahid confronted people running the boys’ schools seeking reasons behind such a mismatch, his query was lightly brushed aside with a strange logic - “There is no need for girls to go to school. Madrasas are enough for them.”

It is a sad irony that women’s literacy rates have been significantly lower than men’s in most developing countries, including India. The reasons behind this trend become aptly clear from Wahid’s

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People were persistently cynical, many laughed at what they termed his ‘foolishness’ and said that no parents would send their girls to school. In fact, the opposition stemmed from all quarters including community leaders, who kept warning parents against sending their daughters to school, saying that their girls would become ‘spoilt’ and would be converted to Christians and Jews if they were sent to this school experience in Sikar. The absence of any recognition to the importance of girls’ education and an absolute lack of interest in the idea of a girls’ school in Sikar prompted Wahid to take the challenge of making a fine school for girls, imparting formal and mainstream education upon himself and soon constructted a beautiful six-storied school building.

He did what he set out to do. But the journey was not easy. People were persistently cynical, many laughed at what they termed his ‘foolishness’ and said that no parents would send their girls to school. In fact, the opposition stemmed from all quarters including community leaders, who kept warning parents against sending their daughters to school, saying that their girls would become ‘spoilt’ and would be converted to Christians and Jews if they were sent to this school.

Regardless, he started the Excellence Girls’ School in 1997 with 30 students and within 5 years, the school was filled to capacity. Sensing the acceptance, Wahid did not stop there. He obtained a larger piece of land on which he planned an Excellence Knowledge City. This campus currently has four buildings being used at full capacity, with ten more to go. The institution can today boast of 3,000 girls receiving school and college education completely free of cost, including books and uniforms.

Today, the Excellence group is recognised as an educational institution based on secular principles working towards improving the lot of the deprived girl child through formal and practical education of a high standard which was, before this, largely inacces-

sible to such children in Sikar, not only in terms of affordability, but also on account of convenience of location.

The impact of this educational revolution has been amazing. “In Sikar, and the whole district, all the Madrasas that were feeling threatened by the fact that most of their girls were leaving to go to our school, have now converted

themselves into Secondary and Senior Secondary schools, thus bringing under the umbrella of formal education, almost 25,000 girls in the region,” says Chowhan.

Wahid makes another vital point. “If every region in Rajasthan covering 2 or 3 districts can make even one institution on the lines of the Excellence School & Colleges, a beginning will be made and, in due course, create an impact in the entire region,” he says. People with the drive and courage can take the initiative to develop and upgrade existing Madrasas and informal schools. There may be many such institutions that have land and buildings which can be put to this good use. It is his belief that once such schools are made accessible to the community, the impact will be such as has been seen in Sikar. Parents will begin to have the confidence to send their daughters to such proper schools, and these will serve as role-models that can encourage those already running small informal schools to convert themselves into regular schools.

Since independence, India has witnessed notable changes in our approach towards girls’ education. From being considered ‘not only a waste but often a definite disability’ in the first report of independent India’s University Education Commission, India has definitely travelled a long way. However, there is a long road that India still needs to traverse. Wahid Chowhan’s initiatives may be baby steps as compared to what India needs to achieve in girls’ education, but it is a revolution nonetheless. Perhaps, it is the small, silent revolutions that India so desperately needs today.

For more information please log on to www.excellenceschool.org

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Overcoming Challenges for an Educated World It took three friends a saving of `328, a hand-planted mango tree which was used for school benches and an unbreakable resolve to revolutionise the state of minority education in Valpoi, Goa. This is a story of Shaikh Sulaiman Karol, Mustafa Aga and Mubarak Ali Khan’s struggle, their optimism and their spirit of rising above all odds

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he circumstances became the inspiration behind the setting up of United Education Society, Unity High School and the Unity Primary School in Valpoi, Goa. Since there were no options available for primary education in the village for minority groups, children had to look for admissions in another school in a village situated 20 km away from Valpoi. It was as a measure to address this situation faced by Muslim students in the village that led three friends - Shaikh Sulaiman Karol, Mustafa Aga and Mubarak Ali Khan to establish an educational institution for the betterment of the village and its children.

The journey, of course, was not smooth. After several stumbling blocks, Sulaiman and his friends managed to secure permission to start schooling for students of fifth standard. This happened with the help of political leaders and they started off with a batch of 25 students.

“Ours is definitely a story of struggle as there were only three active members in the committee. Our financial condition was also a challenge, as we had only `328 as our savings together,” recollects Sulaiman.

Mustafa Aga then took charge of making benches for the school. “For this,

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he sacrificed his hand-planted mango tree,” says Sulaiman. The branches of this tree were used to make benches for the school. Sulaiman took the initiative to teach and was not paid for it.

These are instances of sacrifice which should have inspired the entire community. However, even after continued efforts, rumors were rife that the initiative would not survive six months and the parents were extremely hesitant to admit their wards.

Things took a turn for the better and the story of the struggle of three friends soon turned into that of success. The United Education Society was founded in October 1978, the Unity High School in 1982 and the Unity Primary School in 1993. Today, the schools offer preprimary (English medium), primary (English and Konkani) and secondary school (English) education in three language formulas of English, Konkani and a choice between Hindi and Urdu.

Moreover, the school also offers prevocational courses, which are the most sought after.

From a staff strength of two teachers in 1982, the school today has a rich faculty of 30. The student intake too has also risen and the boys to girls’ ratio is 3:1. The school also offers a special scheme for women students where the top ten rankers are given free uniforms and `500 in scholarship.

Over the years, Sulaiman and his friends have had to undertake houseto-house counselling for parents to explain the importance of education.

These campaigns have also expanded to other causes such as the mid-day meal scheme, Right to Education, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the adverse effects of child labour.

Imparting quality education in tune with today’s time and needs is no easy job. The biggest challenge for the school today is to get qualified and skilled teachers. Added to this is the lack of funds and the lack of support by the government. These operational challenges are hurdles but Sulaiman does not believe in letting them get the better of him.

“Despite all odds, we are confident that our students will definitely match the required standards,” remarks Sulaiman.

In standards IX and X, students are provided carreer guidance and the school has also started courses in hotel management and restaurant and CGDCM. “The Central and state government have not given enough support to promote minority education,” he says. As Prime Minister, Sulaiman and his friends expect Narendra Modi to increase the budget for education and allow minority groups to open colleges and universities with 100 per cent grant, and also seek reservation for minorities in professional and non-professional institutions.

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A Role Model From four schools in 1992 to 29 educational institutes, 1,100 teaching and 700 non-teaching staff with 27,000 students at the end of the 2013 academic year, it has been no ordinary journey for the Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society (MCES)

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et up with the objective of providing education to the economically, educationally and socially weaker sections of society, the Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society (MCES) today figures among the oldest educational organisations of Pune. It is an educational society registered under the Society’s Registration Act of 1860 and also a Public Trust registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950. It is also registered under section 12(a) of Income Tax Act 1961 and is exempted under Section 80G of the said Act by the Income Tax Commissioner, Pune.

Set in the scenic surroundings of Pune which provides a peaceful environment conducive to studying for the students, the society today boasts of an educational complex of higher, medical, technical and professional academic institutions in the field of Arts, Animation and Multimedia, Science, Commerce, Computer Science, Law, Education, Pharmacy, Management Sciences, Architecture, Dental Sciences, Hospitality

Studies, Information Technology etc. A total of 1,000 girls and 600 boys stay in two separate hostels inside the campus.

Over the years, the society has made tremendous progress in all fields - academics, sports, and extra-curricular activities. The infrastructure is laced with beautiful buildings, well-laid internal roads, a picturesque landscape, fully equipped laboratories, libraries with over 2,500 computers and furnished hostels for boys and girls. The Sports Complex and pavilion constructed in accordance with national standards is a recognised play area.

In keeping with the times, the MCES campus is equipped with several modern digital libraries and reading rooms, laboratories and smart classrooms. All the institutes are connected through 155 MBPS T-1 Internet line for faster and better e-communication. The entire 24-acre campus is Wi-Fi and safely guarded with 120 night vision cameras.

The campus motto has always been to provide the students with the best facilities possible.

The society has made a record to implement Maharashtra State mandatory basic computer certificate (MS-CIT) for students of classes IV and V and more than 6,500 students have cleared

the state level exam and achieved this recognised MS-CIT certificate. All members of the teaching staff and 75 per cent of the non-teaching staff, including class IV employees, have also cleared the MS-CIT. The students too take maximum advantage of these facilities and have shown great results by participating in state and national level competitions and bringing laurels to their respective colleges and institutions. The moral and value education enhances the personality of the students and develops selfconfidence, self-respect and a positive attitude towards life.

Today, the MCES acts as a source of inspiration and a role model to follow for many educational institutions, not just in Maharashtra, but across India.

Rightfully then, their progress and development have been duly lauded and recognised by the Government of India.

The M.C.E.Society was awarded the first “Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Literacy Award” constituted by the Maulana Azad Education Foundation, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India for being one of the best minority educational campuses in India.

For more information please log on to www.mcesociety.org

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

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Inspiration to ‘Be the Change’ With the inspiration that education is not just the government’s priority, but a subject of people’s initiative, Dr Nakadar Institute of Knowledge in Nandasan, Gujarat, was established in 2004 to play an integral role in the development of an economically healthy country. An ENN report

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ducation is the road towards a successful and brighter tomorrow. Prevalent conditions, however, do not bode well for minority education in India. In an era where schemes and programmes formulated by the government hardly reach the intended beneficiaries, providing a glimmer of hope for quality education to those who would otherwise have remained deprived, is extremely inspirational.

Dr A S Nakadar,

Founder, Dr Nakadar Institute of Knowledge

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It is with this vision that the Nakadar Institute of Knowledge (NIK) has been involved in taking care of a large number of rural children whose parents are farmers, menial labourers or from other socially-underprivileged classes.

With the low literacy levels in these regions, especially amongst the girls, this institute has proved as nothing short of a boon to the locals in the boondocks of Gujarat.

Prime Focus The school maintains that students form the main focus area for NIK. As a result, the school has been conducting extraclasses for the last four years for students of class X and XII. As a result of this initiative, the school’s results have been an impressive 100 per cent. The prime cause of concern for the school, however, is girls’ education. Traditionally, people in the locality still do not believe in sending their daughters to school.

Even if they do, they are only given edu-

cation till the tenth standard. In an attempt to bring around a change in this mindset, the school team is visiting villages, meeting parents and canvassing for the cause of female education.

It is this mindset that has plagued many efforts from all sections of society.

Proper knowledge and lack of awareness are the main reasons why many minority institutions do not become popular or sought after, Abdullah Baig, Administrator, Dr. Nakadar Institute of Knowledge tells digitalLearning. “There is need for a suitable monitoring mechanism for minority-related programmes for the awareness and motivation,” he says.

Given the diversity of our country, various dimensions of inequality have affected the education of religious minorities. The people have benefitted from discussions with a wide variety of stakeholders including teachers, civil society representations, government officials, academicians, thought leaders and NGOs. On their part, NIK has identified

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physical and value-based education as the prime objectives of the institute. “We have all facilities required for providing students a modern education system to compete with the contemporary world.

We have proved ourselves with 100 per cent result at secondary level and started science stream at Higher Secondary level with highly qualified staff, so that it is helpful for the students in making their career,” adds Baig.

Curriculum The institute offers schooling from Nursery to XII standard in English medium. Due to the growing demand of surrounding village students, the school began teaching classes XIth and XIIth of the Science stream in Gujarati medium three years ago. Dr Nakadar Institute of Knowledge follows the prescribed and approved courses of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Boards. Besides formal education, subjects related to cultural ethos and value education are also incorporated here. Nearly 75 per cent of the students have secured admissions in some of the best engineering and medical colleges in the coutry. In a mark of recognition to the efforts of the institute, the Aligarh Muslim University has offered a distance education center to NIK. Despite a majority of the students being from surrounding rural communities, the school has continued to have English as the medium of instruction.

Though it is a predominantly Muslim

The Infrastructure m The school is built on over an area of 40,000 square feet m Dining and a multipurpose hall are available for dramatics, debates and other competitions. m Residential facilities for its students. m Present hostel students capacity is 100 students, plan to increase it to 200 in near future m Newly built spacious 1 and 2 bedrooms staff quarters for the teaching staff. m 42 spacious classrooms, one science laboratory, one language and computer lab, audiovisual room, administrative and management blocks, conference rooms and a hall. m The number of teaching faculties is 45 and nonteaching staff is 15. m Seven school buses to transport our students from their villages.

school, children of all communities are welcome here.

Positive Approach NIK has ten community members on its board who make policy decisions and oversee the general workings of the school. They, in turn, report to Dr Abdul Rehman Nakadar. The approach of the school rests on the use of effective technologies and new methods of learning to serve future generations.

The school aims at equipping students with the education necessary to acquire greater knowledge so as to meet the needs and opportunities of the new century. The school intends to inculcate in the students a vision and lay down a strong moral foundation for their future growth and learning so that they remain steadfast.

The new dispensation at the Centre has come to power with a great deal of expectations. Institutions too are justified in expecting the new government to take the country forward into the league of super powers. The NIK too is confident and expects an economic transformation, taking the country to the next stage of development especially with the development of minority communities.

“We expect that in future, we would not see the lapses of the past, and the PM will be equally close to, or equi-distant from, all sections of Indian society. Your announcement that your government will be the government of the poor is reassuring,” Baig concludes.

For more information please log on to www.drnik.net

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Investing in the Community’s Youth Oasis International School, an educational initiative by a group of Muslim women in Bangalore, believes that imparting quality education will result in leaders guided by justice and informed by reason, writes Ayesha Masood

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n any pluralistic society, a community’s survival depends not only on its ability to preserve its values, its religion, its identity, but also on its capacity to contribute to society as a whole.

This is particularly true of a minority community like ours.

A cursory look reveals a fairly dismal picture of the state of the Muslim community in India and its overall standard of living. The only way out of this cycle of deprivation is to invest in the youth of our community by providing them an education of excellence and one which

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is based on high moral values.

Oasis International School strives towards excellence in all aspects of education by adopting a holistic and dynamic curriculum and providing an emotionally safe and a spiritually and morally invigorating environment to all learners, irrespective of their social status or religious leaning.

The Challenge Graduates of religious educational institutions throughout the Muslim world are generally absorbed by mainly three service sectors. These include

Ayesha Masood, Managing Trustee,

Oasis International School, Bangalore, India

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mosque-related services, Islamic mission (da’wah) and teaching in religious schools and universities. The Indian Constitution provides equal opportunities to all individuals, organisations and social groups.

However, the largest Indian minority is a victim of deprivation. There is an acute shortage of Muslim representation in government, legislature, education and policy-making organisations. The most serious challenge faced by Muslims is from within their community; primarily due to a near-total lack of objective understanding of their own situation. This is further compounded by several other factors which range from lack of leaders, growing disparity between rich and poor, a nearly 90 per cent school dropout rate, over 50 per cent living below poverty line and social evils tearing at the very moral fabric.

Unfortunately, the choices available are limited to missionary schools, Madrassas and government educational institutions. There are only a handful schools run and managed by the community which we can be proud of.

The Solution Investing in the community’s youth tops the list of solutions as it can help groom leaders who can imbibe in them a concern for their less-privileged brethren.

This would mean grooming of a generation of children in an environment based on high moral values, who would, in time, be identified as the Muslim intelligentsia. The outcome of this will result in leaders who are guided by justice and informed by reason, a community of teachers trained in value-based education and, importantly, national and international representation of Muslims.

We believe that Oasis International School is a bold investment towards achieving these goals. The vision statement drawn out for the school, therefore, has been to set standards in raising a God conscious, knowledgeable, well-balanced and responsible generation of lifelong learners possessing skills and attitudes necessary to positively influence society.

Small Strides We began small in 1999, with just a

We provide our students with an environment that nurtures and develops a strong sense of self-identity among students through a pedagogy rooted equally in religious faith and critical enquiry handful of students in a bungalow on a 5,000 sq ft of rented property. Vowing never to sacrifice on quality of curriculum, staff and infrastructure, the strength of the school soon grew by leaps and bounds with almost 100 students added in a year. This also indicated the need for such schools in the community.

In the first seven years, the school was run in 3 different rented houses, which was a very difficult task. Finally in the year 2006, with the help of soft loans from parents, we purchased 3 acre of land 15 km from town. The construction soon began based on state-of-theart architectural plan drawn out by a renowned architect. In a span of 14 years now, Oasis has grown to over 1,125 students across Montessori to Grade 12.

Almost 20 per cent of our students are supported by way of fees which is part of our policy of bridging the gap between children from affluent homes and those from under-privileged backgrounds.

Academic Excellence At Oasis, we strongly postulate to have established a school of excellence, focussing on high academic standards and life-skill development in a student-centered environment. The school is affiliated to the University of Cambridge, following the IGCSE Syllabus. While the pre-school follows an enriched Montessori Programme inte-

grated with the international early-years curriculum, the primary school follows the Cambridge International Primary Programme (CIPP) of International Examinations. At the end of Cambridge Secondary 1, students sit through the Cambridge Checkpoint Tests, which provide a detailed feedback on students’ strengths and weaknesses. The Cambridge Secondary 2 (Higher Secondary) follows the IGCSE Curriculum. This programme is designed to give our students international mobility and provides subjects that are educationally sound and challenging. Due to the changing needs of our parents and students, we have established the CBSE curriculum in 11th and 12th grades.

Our infrastructure has today grown to a state-of-the-art building with labs, libraries and airy classrooms in 2 campuses.

The smaller campus is in Bangalore which houses classes up to grade 2 while grades 3 to 12 are located in the 3-acre campus in the suburbs. We provide our students with an environment that nurtures and develops a strong sense of self-identity among students through a pedagogy rooted equally in religious faith and critical enquiry. Our students are outspoken and courageous with regard to social interactions on minor as well as major platforms, have done well in competitive examinations and are placed in reputed degree colleges.

For more information please log on to www.oasisintschool.net

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Educate, Enrich, Empower In the last eight decades since its inception in 1927, the Konkan Muslim Education Society has spread its sphere of operations from one Anglo-Urdu high school to several educational institutions, including G M Momin Women’s College in Bhiwandi. In an interaction with ENN, Aslam Fakih, President of the K M E Society says the government needs to create a better ecosystem for minority educational institutions to help build a better India. Excerpts from the interview When was the G.M. Momin Women’s College, Bhiwandi established?

Rafiuddin Fakih, Mustafa Fakih, Murtuza Fakih, Najmuddin Fakih and Ghulam Mohammed Momin founded the college in July 1989. The founders had a noble vision to empower women by promoting higher education for Muslim girls through this Women’s College in Bhiwandi.

Explain the situation in Bhiwandi before your institution came into being?

Muslim Girls were not allowed to pursue higher education after completing their Higher Secondary certificate. The

women’s college paved way for the first generation of graduate girls in many families in Bhiwandi.

What are the courses offered by Momin Women’s College?

We offer both under-graduate and post-graduate courses across different streams.

Has the student intake improved?

We started with 94 students in 1989.

This year, 1409 students have enrolled in different courses.

Do you offer any incentives to students?

The G.M. Momin Women’s College offers the facility of paying fees in installments, scholarships for meritorious and needy students, book bank scheme and a scholar’s card in library. We also impart free courses in basic computers, Yoga, self-defence, value-added skill development and remedial classes.

Why is it that many minority institutions do not become popular or sought after?

Momin Women’s College is quite popular. Many institutions may be not popular on account of lack of quality and commitment. Others may be handicapped due to lack of funds.

What are the challenges faced in operating the college?

Fund-raising for infrastructure as per the growing demand, to get qualified faculty members and to get students enrolled in the initial stage of any programme are some of challenges. Also, the freedom to administer minority institutions is limited by the government/university.

Are you able to attract good talent?

Though we earnestly wish to match industry standards, we

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are unable to do so due to lack of funds.

Do graduates from your institution find immediate placement?

Students have been placed in corporate and government sectors. TCS, Infosys and government organisations are some examples. Nevertheless, Muslim students face problems in going out to the corporate world to work as parents do not permit them. However, counseling of parents and conducting training sessions for students has helped change the mindset gradually.

Do you offer any career counseling services for students?

The career counseling and placement cells have been formed and they take care of career placements.

What are the efforts on digital learning front?

Students are guided for distant digital learning. Video conference benefits are available in our campus. Staff and students are also motivated to avail distant learning opportunities through IGNOU and various other distant modes.

Is your institution considering introducing skill development and vocational courses?

We have introduced courses in Fashion Designing, Computer Diploma, Lan-

The women’s college has paved the way for the first generation of graduate girls in many families in Bhiwandi guage Development and Personality Development.

Have the Centre and state done enough to promote minority education?

We are not satisfied with the efforts taken either by the Centre or the state government so far. Several limitations and hurdles continue to burden the implementation of policies and schemes to reach the targeted beneficiaries.

What are your expectations from the new government?

Minority education institutions should be given government aid to conduct skill-oriented courses, especially for girls. Secondly, counselling programmes for parents and students should be aided by the government. Motivational guest lectures on various issues and solutions must be promoted and assisted by the government. Awareness programmes about distant learning mode should also be supported. Furthermore, policies and schemes should be liberalised for availing benefits in due time to develop the institution. Finally, the allocation towards

Higher & Technical education in the Union Budget in 2014-15 is insufficient (1.33 per cent only). I believe that there is an urgent need to review the budget.

What suggestions or grievances do you think need to be urgently looked into?

Incentives should be given for minority institutions which excel in quality to upgrade their infrastructure, even for the unaided programmes. Financial assistance for teachers’ in-service training programmes towards developing ICT skills should also be considered. Under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), industries need to come forward to collaborate with minority institutions and train students for varied skills, motivate teachers who adopt innovative methods of teaching and additional remuneration should be arranged for teachers who teach value-added courses. Authorities should also look into inordinate delays in payment of scholarships to minority students and poor implementation of minority welfare schemes.

For more information please log on to www.gmmomincol.org

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Education for Equality Among the top most influential Muslim figures on ‘The Muslim 500’, Sayyid Ibrahimul Khalilul Bukhari, founder of Ma’din Academy, wears many hats and is sought after by several governments across the globe. In an interview to ENN, Bukhari says he strongly believes that education is a powerful way to transform lives and a means to end inequalities suffered by minorities. Excerpts from an interview When did you establish Ma’din Academy?

We established Ma’din Academy in 1997 to improve the educational and social backwardness of minorities in Kerala’s Malappuram district. Two-thirds of the population in Malappuram is Muslim and their condition was very pathetic.

What was your philosophy behind starting the academy?

I strongly believe that education is a powerful tool that can transform lives and end all sorts of social and economic inequalities of the minority communities.

It is through quality education that we have to strive towards the upliftment of the poor and needy into the mainstream.

Explain the situation before your institution came into being.

Before the establishment of Ma’din Academy, it was very sad to see that unlike several other districts in Kerala, Malappuram did not have dedicated institutions of higher and technical education for minority Sayyid Ibrahimul Khalilul Bukhari

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communities, especially Muslims, who formed the largest portion of its total population. For example, the SSLC results of the government schools in the region were extremely poor. In most of the schools, only 20 per cent students used to pass the public examination.

The people were less aware of the importance of imparting knowledge and getting educated. As a result, the social, economic and educational status of the minorities remained submerged in backwardness and the future of the students looked bleak.

Tell us about the Academy’s reach.

Ma’din Academy has more than 25 educational and research institutes like the Arts and Science College, Polytechnic College, Industrial Training Institute, Arabic Study Center, Spanish Academy, Institute of French, Institute of Turkish, Language Resource Center, School of Journalism, Special Schools for the blind, deaf and dumb, Research World, Knowledge Hunt, Library and Research Center, Model Academy, Higher Secondary School, Public School (CBSE), Residential School, Molur Central School, Home Science Center etc.

What were the challenges you faced while setting up the Academy?

Insufficient funding and infrastructure along with the availability of suitable plots for construction of buildings are some of the challenges we face.

Any tie-up with other central or foreign universities to offer more courses?

Ma’din Academy has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with several national and international universities and institutes and has been carrying out various educational and cultural activities in collaboration with foreign universities. They include International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) University of Southern Queensland, Australia, Instituto Cervantes, Spain, Griffith University Australia, Dar alMustafa University, Tarim, Hadhramout, Yemen and Tabha Foundaton, UAE. What are your expectations from the new government?

We are very happy and satisfied with the BJP-led government’s projects for a skilled India. We appreciate the government’s allocation of `100 crore for modernisation of Madrasas. We expect that the educational development activities will be more inclusive and accountable in the Modi government.

What are your suggestions regarding improvement of minority education?

More educational institutions and infrastructural development should be realised in those areas which are socially and educationally backward, especially in eastern and northern India. A special quota for Muslims under OBC should be passed in the parliament.

For more information please log on to www.mahdinonline.com

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The Oxford Square: A Western Educational Institution for Slum Dwellers The principal inspiration behind establishing the Oxford Square was Prophet Mohammad’s saying that ‘the best among you is the one who learns or teaches’. Today, it is among the few educational institutions in India that exclusively cater to the needs of slum-dwellers, writes Sapna Srivastav

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he founder of the Oxford Square has a unique philosophy: Charging money for imparting education is unethical.

One must share one’s knowledge with others without remuneration. It is with this vision that in the last seven years of its existence, the Ox-

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ford Square has not charged a single penny from any student. The school is financed by the founder president’s family and friends.

Established in 2007 in Jamia Nagar in the heart of the national capital, this unique institution was set up by Syed Qaisar Mahmood, an Arabist, an ex-advisor in the Gulf and a former president

of the students’ union of the Aligarh Muslim University. Before the institution came into being, hundreds of street children could be seen moving around in the Jamia Nagar area. Families living in slums were sending their children with containers to fetch water. The founder visited the cottages on March 24, 2007 and was shocked to find how the lack of

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adequate sanitation, scarcity of water, heaps of garbage on the roads and rampant poverty had made the slum-dwellers’ life miserable. To top it all, children never went to school.

The founder met the parents and encouraged them to send their children to The Oxford Square for free education.

Today, the situation is different. From 46 students on March 25, 2007, the number of students has gone up to 675 in 2014, with 41 per cent of the total and Siddhartha Sankara Sahu, poststrength constituting of girls. In further graduates in Mathematics, teach Arithimpetus to promoting girls’ education, all metic, Algebra and Geometry, Neetu the girls studying in classes VI, VIII and Bhardwaj helps the students learn art, X have been provided with bicycles by the craft and Sanskrit. Mohammad Islam school. The school currently has classes I Sarvar and Mohammad Qassim help to XI, and the curriculum followed is that with learning Moral Science and Urdu, of the CBSE. Most class rooms are The community’s limited horizons of human fitted with largepotential are characterised by miraclesized television sets and air-condi- mongering, commercialisation of tombs and tioners. running after the dead for the fulfillment of When asked one’s dreams and luxurious marriages about the challenges faced by the management while setting up the Annu Garg teaches grammar and Rao institution, the founder Syed Qaisar Masroor, a post-graduate in Hindi, Mahmood begins with quoting Prophet teaches Hindi poetry and prose. The Mohammad who spoke of ‘the limitless school’s Information Technology Labohorizons of human potential that could ratory has 13 sophisticated computers take one to the celestial spheres’. In conused to impart high-class IT education trast, he says, “The community’s limited to the students of higher classes. horizons of human potential are charThere are more ways that this school acterised by miracle-mongering, comis unique. Since its inception, the foundmercialisation of tombs and running er has stressed upon admitting students after the dead for the fulfillment of one’s who are the least talented and do not dreams and luxurious marriages.” He manage to get into any other school. says the school has encouraged parents The focus, therefore lies on developing to shed all superstitions and send their and promoting talent in those who have children to the school for free education. been less privileged. The students here The school today provides its students are not only provided with quality eduwith summer and winter uniforms, textcation but also encouraged to develop books, stationery and, above all, a highaspirations and are guided towards class faculty- all free of cost. achieving these aspirations. All students The qualified faculty includes a of The Oxford Square are prepared from number of foreigners. Jennifer Star, a day one to appear in the All India ServicPh. D. in Education from Deakin Unies Examination conducted by the Union versity, Australia, teaches English lanPublic Service Commission. The instituguage. Edward Harway, Manfred Lai tion helps students in all possible ways and Peter, holders of top degrees from till they become IAS, IPS, IRS or IFS ofwestern universities, work hard to enficers. From time to time, senior students sure that the students excel in English are also offered counseling on a career conversation. While Sapna Srivastav in civil services.

There are eight subjects taught at the Oxford Square. The technical subjects include Mathematics, Social Sciences, Environmental Studies, General Knowledge and Moral Science. The languages taught are English, Hindi, Urdu, German, Sanskrit and Modern Arabic. However, the main emphasis is on learning the English language, the beautiful language of Shakespeare. All the 676 students of this school have to learn how to speak flawless Queen’s English.

When asked about the problems of education in our country, the school’s quintessential Chairman said: “India has a huge number of highly qualified teachers. But, for every teacher who wants to teach, there are a thousand students who do not want to learn. Students want that the school should not mind if they are late, disappear, do not do homework or disturb the class.” To counter this, the school follows a unique policy to ensure full attendance. The administrator Rakesh Kumar calls the parents at 5 a.m. asking them to wake the children up and send them to the school immediately. The Oxford Square is probably the only public school in India which opens at 6 a.m. every day.

The first period is marked for sports where all students go out for jogging, cycling and physical exercises. The school provides the students with free sports equipment and tells them that they must not start their studies unless they have played soccer, cricket or badminton. The sports policy has reduced the level of drop out remarkably.

The author of this piece is a post-graduate in Mathematics and teaches Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry at The Oxford Square school, New Delhi

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Rekindling Hopes and Lives Seven friends since school who were equally appalled by the state of abject poverty and lack of educational facilities around them set up an organisation called MESCO, recollects Dr M A Khatkhatay, General Secretary and a founder member. Over four and a half decades later, they continue to inspire and assist the cause of education.

Excerpts from an interview What was the inspiration behind setting up MESCO? The founders, most of whom were friends in school, kept in touch with each other over the years. They met at each other’s houses during Ramzan. At one such meeting, the idea was floated that if they could be engaged in some activity to help poor students, they could probably combine their individual efforts in a more organised way. It was this thought that led to the establishment of the society, Modern Educational Social and Cultural Education (MESCO). All of the founders were pursuing different professions, they all hailed from middle class families, were equally appalled by poverty and together decided to establish schools, colleges, technical institutions, hostels and other institutions. Their aim was to provide high quality education on a non-commercial basis and impart value-based education to all sections of the community.

What was the situation before your institution came into being?

The founders initially tried to raise funds and started off by giving out school text books on loan and also subsidising the cost of notebooks for the less fortunate around. They started raising funds through ingenious ways by collecting old newspapers, selling ice-cream and Eid cards apart from collecting donations and membership fees. Soon, it was changed into a comprehensive Educational Adoption Scheme (EAS). However, when this failed to give enough

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opportunity to children to be developed holistically, the founders launched MESCO Education Society in 1977 with the objective of setting up educational institutions beginning with a school. The Crescent English High School in Thane was initiated in 1993. Secondly, in the selected area of Kausa near Mumbra in Thane, there was not a single good quality educational institution. MESCO currently runs the Crescent English High School at Kausa, vocational training centres at Dharavi and Kausa and a chain of English medium nursery schools in the Mumbai slums.

What are the problems faced by minority educational institutions?

Many administrators lack vision and professional approach. Also, many of them do not have a consistent long-term strategy and HR policy while improper infrastructure and financial instability also affect their popularity. Also, most minority institutions do not have a clear road map to make themselves self-sufficient.

What were the challenges for management?

Attracting and retaining good staff, including the head of the institution, and complying with all legal requirements for establishing a school is always a challenge. Also, developing self-sufficiency for the institution and keeping it that way is an additional challenge, especially when the target group we cater to comes from an economically and socially backward background.

What are your expectations from the new government?

We feel that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should continue supporting minority education. The Sachar Committee report has implicitly revealed that minorities are the worst off in terms of educational attainments. Even the SC and ST communities fare better in this regard. I believe the time has come to give a concerted and multi-faceted impetus to the minorities - particularly Muslim minorities - which are the largest in this group, to bring them at par, if not ahead, of the status of the SC and ST communities. Skill development is one particular area which requires serious attention because it can help a vast number of students who do not pursue education beyond high school. Youngsters from the minority communities who are into handicraft (cottage industries) and artisans down several generations should also be targeted.

What are your suggestions to improve the education status of minorities?

The government should publicise various welfare schemes. More importantly, all welfare schemes of the central government should be time-bound. This entails a process where any application of grant-in-aid should be sanctioned or rejected within 6 months after the date of submission. Funds sanctioned under central schemes should be directly transferred to the NGO’s accounts, like the scheme of cash in lieu of subsidy through Aadhar card.

For more information please log on to www.mescotrust.org

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Reconstructing a New World with Education Islamic society is founded on the principles of belief and righteous conduct. The challenges of modern times call for rebuilding the structure of our educational programme on such a foundation so as to fulfil our spiritual as well as worldly obligations says Aslam Khan, Vice President, Iqra Management Committee in conversation with ENN

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he Islamic values education curriculum called for at Iqra focusses on personality and character development of children, close attention to the real needs and concerns of students and readying students with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed to function successfully as Muslims in society. Keeping this in mind, the Global Education trust is providing education at par with the international standards to students coming from different strata of the society through IQRA International Pre-Primary School and Maktab (schooling).

Today, we need an education system which can produce Muslim experts in all fields of knowledge who would reconstruct the social order in accordance with the tenets of Islam. For academic education, we follow the NCERT syllabus and for Islamic education, we follow guidelines laid down by the renowned University of Makkatul Mukarramah. In fact, we have been accredited by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for the Open Basic Education (OBE) programme.

The academic section comprises English, Marathi, Hindi, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Computer Education, while the Islamic section comprises Tajweed, Hifz of Quran, Islamic Studies, Sirah of the Prophets, Word to Word English translation of

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Our Vision

Quran, Arabic Language and Hadith studies. There are a host of extra-curricular studies provided by the school such as martial arts, educational excursions, quiz, science exhibitions, sports and public speaking.

The Global Education trust had started the IQRA International Pre-primary School and Maktab in Mumbai-Mazgaon area with a mere 272 students, starting from Play group and Nursery to sixth standard in 2010. Today, the school has reached 4,000 students in a span of 4 years, spreading across IQRA branches in India.

Our vision is to develop strong and highly educated Muslims by giving them Islamic and academic education. The idea is to hone them as articulate, reflective and open to others point of view; have the confidence to express themselves and discuss ideas; and actively contribute towards their own development and the development of others.

Mission It is our aim to impart a balanced system of education comprising of academics and Islamic studies to our children. We strive to help them excel in subjects such as Mathematics, Science, English, History, Geography, Computer Studies etc. We nurture and encourage our children to develop their innate creativity and inquisitive nature in the pursuit of academic excellence while anchoring their hearts and souls in a moral framework of a virtuous and righteous life. Everyone endeavours to create constancy of purpose towards improvement of the student and the service provided. This means that achieving our goals is dependent upon providing training for students, teachers and administrators, creating an Islamic environment and team spirit, and above all, an open door policy, as well as a positive caring atmosphere across the school.

For more information please log on to www.mescotrust.org

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Conquering Female Illiteracy Seldom can India forget the year 1857, the first war of independence against the colonial rulers. In contrast, the same year, a Christian missionary was helping Indians brew another revolution, this time against female illiteracy. An ENN report

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t was the time when female education was only a vision.

In the city of Nagpur in Maharashtra, there was absolutely no provision for girls’ education beyond the middle school stage.

The girls who wished to continue with their education beyond this stage had to go to boys’ schools and this was no easy thing to do in those days.

It took the courage and resolve of Mrs Cooper, wife of a Nagpur missionary, who thought that the time had come when a beginning was made. With the belief that action was better than just ideas, she took the lead and opened a school in the verandah of her bungalow in 1857 and named it Coopers School.

In 1858, with 13 students on roll, the school was re-christened to St. Ursula Girls’ High School.

It took 12 years for the school to get its old building and by 1871, the strength of students at the school grew to 50. It was then that the government took note of the school and sanctioned

a grant of `25, a huge amount in those days. Interestingly the medium of Mrs Cooper’s school was Marathi.

In essence, Mrs Cooper pioneered the cause of girls’ education in Maharashtra. The institution soon took firm roots which proved that it was needed.

In 1887, Mrs Cooper entrusted the responsibilities of the school to a band of women who kept up the noble work with Ms. Smith at the helm of affairs as its first Principal. In 1907, the first student from the school passed the matriculation examination and five years later, the school got recognised from the Allahabad University.

The actual development of the school, however, began only in 1924 when it got a new building. After a few years, the school opened a Hindi section, was upgraded to Higher Secondary in 1962 and was permanently recognised 1966 onwards.

With a series of achievements, awards and titles, the institution has gradually spread its wings. Ursula has

established a junior college with commerce, science and bifocal (computer science and electronics) to impart knowledge and nurture girls towards reaching greater heights. “Ursulites believe in accomplishing dreams for an educational system that makes one self–reliant and independent to lead a dignified life,” says the current Principal Rachna Singh. “Children are a bundle of talent and their holistic development has been our aim,” she adds.

With a team of committed and enthusiastic faculties, trainers and teachers, the Ursula family has managed to motivate students to progress in life and explore and rise to greater heights. Besides academics, the institution also has RSP, NCC, Social Service, MCC, Guide, CMCA, and PTA and rotary interact club wings, inculcating a scientific temperament and encouraging the students to learn and get groomed through enjoyable activities.

Ursula is not restricted to classroom studies, but has also imparted skills of cognition, effective communication, negotiation computing and value-based education for a harmonious life. The school believes in inspiring students to be on the forefront of talent and potential and provides them with a conducive environment to display their talents and skills. Through the number of years that the school has been in existence, it has transformed itself and in turn, helped transform the lives of several girls of Nagpur who, along with their future generations, owe their dignified and educated existence to this very school.

For more information please log on to www.st-ursula.org.in

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Challenging Educational and Social Backwardness

From a long period of immense struggle to being on the forefront of challenging educational and social backwardness in the Marwar region of Rajasthan, the story of the Marwar Muslim Educational & Welfare Society is one of perseverance and inspiration

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share their culture and language with o most of us, the very general, and Muslims in particular, the Hindus and Jains. The difference here is mention of Rajasthan year 1929 saw the establishment of the that they have never been as vocal about signifies the Thar desert Marwar Muslim Educational & Welfare their business activities or charity as and the ‘Land of Kings’.

Society (MMEWS). Ummed Singh, the compared to minorities in other parts of It a state with a regal past Maharaja of Jodhpur at that time, was India. of palaces and princely the patron of the society and gifted them The history of Muslims in this region states and builds on a proud history that a High School on February 18, 1936 post-independence has been a story of today boasts of a thriving tourism inand named it ‘Darbar Muslim School’. struggle. Education for this community, dustry. That is the general impression we Some of the alumni of Darbar School as a result, has been a cause of concern. carry about Rajasthan. To those uninitieven went on to occupy prestigious poBefore we delve deeper into the reasons, ated with the history of the region, the sitions in both the government and priMarwar region, also called vate sectors in independent Jodhpur, has traditionally India.

The Marwar region is also home to a meant Rajput warriors and Soon enough though, good number of Muslims who share home to Hindu and Jain things took a rather unexbusinessmen engaged in pected turn. Despite the school their culture and language with every business vertical who being a gift to the Muslim Hindus and Jains have gradually managed community from the late Mato spread across the length haraja, the Rajasthan governhere is a look at their recent history to and breadth of the country. ment took over the assets of the school put things into better context. In a move What most of us have failed to look in 1948 and renamed it as Mahatma to ameliorate the cause of education into is that the Marwar region is also Gandhi School, by which it is presently among weaker sections of the society in home to a good number of Muslims who known. Not only did the school lose its

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Since then, the society has been tirelessety and the optimism of those who had a assets, it also lost its identity that was ly working towards the cause of minorburning desire to attain good education crucial for providing education to the ity education. Realising the importance did bear fruit. In 1978, the state governcommunity. As a result, the enrollment of modern education for Muslim girls, ment allotted 5 acres of land to the sociof Muslims declined considerably; leavthe society established the ing only a few matriculates in the community. Things came to Despite losing the assets of the school, the Firoz Khan Memorial Girls School in the year 1994 such a point that Muslim applisociety continued its struggle to achieve within the campus of the cants started being summarily justice for the community Maulana Abul Kalam Azad rejected for admissions. Some Senior Secondary School. were obviously frustrated while The school was inaugurated by the then ety and this came as a silver lining for an the others somehow managed to keep Vice President Bhairon Singh Sekhawat. otherwise sombre three decades. their desire of better education alive.

Besides setting up of primary, secIt was on January 2, 1981, that the It is here that the real story of ondary and senior secondary schools, foundation stone of the Maulana Abul MMEWS and its contribution towards skill development and coaching instiKalam Azad Muslim Senior Secondthe upliftment of the Muslim commututes, the MMEWS has also ventured ary School was laid down on the allotnity in the region begins. Despite losing into higher education with the estabted land. Shiv Charan Mathur, the then the assets of the school, the society conlishment of Maulana Azad Institute of Chief Minister of Rajasthan inaugurattinued its struggle to achieve justice for Pharmacy and Maulana Azad Univered the school on September 11, 1988. the community. The struggle of the socisity in Jodhpur last year.

Today, these institutions collectively have a student enrollment of over 5,000 students, including 1,500 girls. A total of 368 qualified teachers and other staff are also employed in different grades. In realisation of the fact that no literacy movement can be sustained without libraries, the society also established one in 2002 stacking about 15,000 books on various subjects.

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today on the forefront in challenging The society’s efforts have now further poor and needy has a cost to it. Coneducational and social backwardness diversified from education to other welstant source of financing came from Tafare measures as well. Turnkiya Chand Shah, a Waqf ing its attention to improve property in the heart of To improve the prevalent state of poor health Jodhpur city. The society is the prevalent state of poor health facilities in the region, facilities in the region, MMEWS established making constant efforts for MMEWS established the Mai the protection of this land the Mai Khadijah Hospital which benefits Khadijah Hospital which and property from unauover 18,000 patients every year benefits over 18,000 pathorised and illegal occutients every year. Annually, pation. In the year 1987, of the community in a major way. Mothe hospital undertakes 500 operations the society liberated some of this land hammed Atique, General Secretary of and 400 delivery cases for treatment. and constructed a vast shopping comthe MMEWS, is engaged in philanthropy As a result of this mix of activities plex, with huge investments. The society across the region and is working tireand initiatives, the MMEW society is is getting approximately `70 lakh per lessly to improve the life of annum as rent from different shops and locals by undertaking sevbanks. It is as a result of the non-comeral works at the grassroot munal approach of MMEWS, and the level. And the results are religious harmony that it has promoted visible. that people and leaders from all commuThe society has got a nities have appreciated and contributed donation of US $ 100,000 to its welfare kitty. The society already from the Islamic Develophas a future plan for providing educament Bank, Jeddah, for tion to a new generation and meet their the construction of an demands for a better future. The society Industrial Training Instihas already procured 140 bighas of land tute building. The World at Bujhawar village, about 13 kms from Memon Organisation, LonJodhpur. This procurement of land – don, has also made a donacourtesy the state government - provides tion of 2.20 lakh pounds an opportunity to build an institution at sterling for charity, conpar with the best in India. struction of building and To sum it all up, the story of MMEWS other welfare works. Four comes across as one of conviction, perwater purification plants severance and a general good intent that have also been installed in today overshadows the struggle and desert areas of Barmer to neglect it had been witness to. Perhaps, provide drinking water to this struggle acts as a lesson for future Madrasa students and vilages if we are to move ahead towards a lagers. truly educated society.

For more information please log on to www.marwadimuslim.com Improving the lives of

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A Giant Leap Forward Established with the ambition to improve the state of the Muslim community through education based on Islamic culture, the Al-Huda Islamic International School today runs as the only government recognised English medium Islamic school in Rajasthan

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Muslim is obliged to offer a conducive environment to their children for their Islamic upbringing and that is possible only through an Islamic school and a home with Islamic etiquettes and manners. The school believes that there is a dichotomy that exists between religious and worldly academic education in the current scenario and strives to bridge this gap through quality English-medium academic education in a secure Islamic environment. It was with this ethos and such beliefs that led to the establishment of the Al-Huda Islamic International School in 2004.

The school began a decade ago as Nusrathul Masakeen Educational Committee but was later changed to Nusrathul Masakeen Trust in 2006 and then to Sivagangai Nusrathul Masakean Educational and Research Society in the

Arresting the Dropout 2 Providing low-cost education and free education for people below poverty line 2 Counselling to explain the importance of education, especially to villagers 2 Motivating girls to set goals and achieve them 2 Helping students in getting scholarships from the central government

year 2009. At the outset, the committee helped and supported the Muslims by donating for the marriage of poor girls, funding their education and partly taking care of the medical treatment of the poor. It was in 2006 that saw the establishment of a Nursery and Primary School that currently provides education from L.K.G to standard VIII. The ambition of the school is to take this institution to the college level.

The school has 14 trained graduate teachers, four pre-primary teachers, three primary teachers, one teacher for physical education, one yoga trainer, two teachers for Hindi, and three parttime staff for Arabic. Admission to the school costs a modest `100 and the student intake has also increased with each passing year. There is also a provision to obtain scholarships from the trust.

The Challenges Things may seem settled now but the journey so far has been ridden with a lot of operational struggles. Not only has the school management struggled to receive a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state government for attaining the status of a minority institute, it is still facing serious challenges in getting affiliation from the Central Board for Secondary Education.

Even if one looks at the issue of minority education and the institutes that are set up with this objective in mind,

there are issues that need to be addressed. There are several minority institutions who do not follow their goals and aims and there is lack of implementation in terms of what they set out to do. While there are examples where the ideas and efforts of minority institutions have been implemented and have been successful, there are also an ample number of cases where there have not been any follow-ups even after the ideas have been implemented.

Looking Ahead Despite the struggle and the challenges, the institute has managed to attract the best talent available and also provides career counselling for its students. The school has faith that it will progress as a major institute that can make a difference. In the future times, the institute wishes to attach more importance to the education of minorities, especially Muslim women, in order to create awareness about life and explain how they can dispense their duties in a more fruitful manner if they are educated.

For more information please log on to www.alhudainternationalschool.in

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Igniting a Movement Established in 1966 in Bangalore with a view to provide quality education for members of the Muslim community, the Al-Ameen Educational Society today provides education to about 70,000 students across India, writes Subhan Shariff

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he Al-Ameen Educational Society was established in 1966 in the city of Bangalore to provide for educational facilities to the minorities, especially members of the Muslim community. With a specific focus on education, banking and health sectors for the benefit of the downtrodden sections, especially members of the Muslim community, the founder Dr Mumtaz Ahmed Khan also laid the foundation of a big movement called “Al-Ameen Movement”.

Before the institution came into being, there was no centre of higher education for Muslims in Karnataka. Together with eight institutions of higher education in Bangalore along with 20 branches running primary, high school, pre-university courses and colleges in Kerala, Maharashtra, Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Rajasthan, U.P and Orissa with a total of 380 institutions under its ambit.

The founder Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, an educationist and social worker, devoted a majority of his life to pro-

mote education among minorities, especially among the Muslims of Karnataka.

In recognition of his services in the field of education for the past 48 years and for bringing about an educational revolution among the minorities, the alumni of the society conferred upon him the title of ‘Baba-E-Taleem’.

The journey of the society through these years, though, has not been easy.

In general, minority educational institutions were prone to financial challenges in the initial years and many courses

What makes Al-Ameen unique D Experienced qualified faculty D Well-equipped libraries D Air-conditioned seminar halls D State-of-the-art laboratories D Internet facilities round the clock D Well-organised placement cell D Industrial visits on a regular basis

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are still unaided with insufficient infrastructure. In our case, the first challenge was lack of educational awareness in the community. This was coupled with the lack of dedicated and devoted social workers. However, with the inception of Al-Ameen Educational Society, these issues have largely been addressed and today, quality education is delivered. Today, Al-Ameen stands tall as among the premier educational institutes in India with an illustrious background of 40 years in the field of education.

Student intake over the years has improved and there are 5,000 students in the city campus and 70,000 all over India with the break up of girls and boys in the ratio of 1:1.5. In a special scheme offered by us for women students, scholarships are provided from the management, NGOs and other agencies apart from minority commission facilities.

In an attempt to keep students abreast with the latest technology trends, ICT has been made a mandatory part of the curriculum in all courses at all institutions As far as attracting talent goes, attempts have been made to keep merit as the benchmark. However, seats are not denied to those who seek higher education. Many of our students who completed their MBA, MCA, M.Pharma, M.Sc, M.Com and B.Ed degrees are today well-placed in both corporate and public sectors. The frequency of interface and interaction with industry is also well established by the management college.

Our students, graduation and higher, are exposed to campus recruitments of both corporate and public enterprises as an annual affair. This is something that the management takes very seriously

and has recruited a full-time qualified placement officer on campus. In an attempt to keep students abreast with the latest technology trends, ICT has been made a mandatory part of the curriculum in all courses at all institutions. The National Skill Development Corporation is actively involved with out institution for placements in the corporate and government sectors. To promote education and prevent students from droppingout, parents are also given counselling and students are provided Al-Ameen Scholarships to pursue studies.

It has also been the management’s constant endeavour to procure maximum educational benefits for the students and the community, regardless of which government is in power. However, there are a few issues that need to be urgently looked into. Minority certificates should be issued only by the state government on organisational level and not institution-wise, which as a process has become very cumbersome. There are no avenues for the institution of research fellowship in individual institutions by the Central Minority Commission. We also feel that exchange programmes at the international level, publication of papers by Muslim research scholars and establishment of centres of higher education with one centre in each state should be encouraged. An academic staff college on the UGC pattern should also be set up in Bangalore for Muslim teachers and PG students to get refresher courses and orientation programmes.

The government can also look into setting up of a branch of the Central Minority Commission in Bangalore as a zonal headquarter for south Indian states to enable management of minorities for speedy disposal of grievances.

The author is Honorary Secretary, Al-Ameen Educational Society For more information please log on to www.alameen66-edu.org

digitalLEARNING / August 2014

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Role of Technology in Learning The best that schools can give to its students is to enhance their skills through the right use of technology. This is an area where the American Institute of Enrichment does its best

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any educators are faced with a variety of options as they attempt to integrate technology into their teaching practices. How can educators find the right technology for their learners? What are the key criteria for the right technology in our classrooms?

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ing have shown two specific actions take place during true learning: cognition and participation.

Teachers often engage their students by challenging them and requiring cognition, but this often results in lower participation. On the other hand, teachers are able to ensure high participation when the learning engagement is “easy and fun” as students feel sure they can achieve success. When a learning engagement is fun it is often easy. When a learning engagement is too challenging, very few students want to participate.

This balancing act is what teacher’s deal with in traditional learning environments. Often due to this balancing act of cognition and participation, teaching is considered an art and can be very demanding on teachers. Now that we

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It is through technology, in fact the right technology that we can achieve high levels of cognition AND participation for students on a frequent basis.

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Vocational Education and Skill Development in India There is sufficient data in the world to prove that there is a gap between education and employment. This gap is barely understood by policy makers, administrators and educators. Dr Harsh Tank connects the dots

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ndia needs to strengthen its education system with Vocational Education and Skills Development. The reasons for strengthening education system in the 21st century are many. Firstly, the 21st century as a knowledge century needs a robust system of higher learning. Secondly, if education fails, all else is likely to be adversely affected – the economy, business, industry etc. Thirdly, it is for creating knowledge workers of the 21st century that we need to empower education with respect to its relevance and its contribution to the society and national development. This is not the conjecture derived out of idle thinking. It concerns what is at stake.

It is aptly captured by Dr. Ragunath A. Mashelkar: “As I see it from my perch in India’s science and technology leadership, if India plays its cards right, it can become by 2020 the world’s number-one

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knowledge production center, creating not only valuable private goods but also much needed public goods that will help the growing global population suffer less and live better.”

India’s R&D: Reaching for the Top. Science Vol. 307,No. 5714 (4 March 2005), 1415-1417 In India’s growth story, becoming ‘world’s number one knowledge production center’ is not optional. It is mandatory to accomplish it because unless there is knowledge production to suit the 21st century needs, India will never become an economic superpower. Increasingly, economic growth is directly being linked with what kind of education is provided to its youth. It is unequivocally clear that education is particularly entrusted with this responsibility of ‘knowledge production’ - that Dr Mashelkar refers to - that is beneficial to the country and to the world. For such knowledge production and knowl-

edge application, the youth need to be trained for a different skills set.

The first and foremost issue regarding skill development in India is that of defining it or redefining it. While there are policy papers by Planning Commission, National Council on Skills Development and National Skills Development Corporation, the true sense of what skill development is and should be is far from being clear. In fact, we have yet to evolve a policy document in India that clearly delineates the skills for which the youth is to be trained. We have yet to come up with a policy document that defines the urgency of skill development in certain aspects and skills. We have not only poorly defined skill development as mere vocational training in India but we have completely disregarded the policies and case studies of the various countries in the world which have practiced skill development for more than half a century now. Let’s first look at how the world looks at skill development today. The World Bank puts in succinctly: First, there has been a shift from a more narrowly defined vocational training (VT) that is dominated by technical skills to a broadly viewed technical and vocational education and training (TVET) where generic or transferable skills thrive alongside the technical (Leney 2008). The increasing focus on the so-called generic, transferable, core, or key skills lies in the fact that they can be applied across varied organiza-

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programme is also an integral part of each school. And keeping in mind the importance of individual attention for students, we have a teacher-student ratio of only 1:25. All this is, of course, supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure. Which means fully equipped labs, digital classrooms, sport facilities and special interest clubs. We want our students to realise that they can rise as high as they choose with no fear of ever falling. After all, there’s no better safety net than world-class education.

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industry speak

tional and employment contexts (Payne 2004). Reflecting this increased focus and demand, various OECD countries have attempted to define these core skills and competencies often called “skills of the 21st century” or “higher-order skills” (Grubb 2006). While individual countries have their own nomenclature (e.g., “key” and “core” skills in Great Britain; Schlüsselqualificationem (key qualifications) in Germany, qualificaciones quiaves in Spain), the actual skills are very similar across the countries. Determined from a variety of sources such as, employer surveys and task analysis, the skills typically include problem-framing and -solving, communications skills and teamwork, information analysis, critical thinking and reasoning “skills” (Grubb 2006).

(Pre-Employment Skills Development Strategies in OECD, The World Bank, 2009, page 3) In addition to the generic versus specific characterisation of skills, there is an increasing focus on hard and soft skills.

Employers desire workers that possess soft or life skills in addition to hard skills. Hard skills refer to the technical and analytical competencies and knowhow that allow the worker to perform the mechanical aspects of a job (Batlle 2006). In contrast, soft or life skills are those “abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. In particular, life skills are a group of psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, and cope with and manage their lives in a healthy and productive manner (World Health Organization 2003).”

The World Bank suggests that not only are these soft skills important but today they are crucial for ‘labour productivity’ and employers are looking for these skills for their companies.

Secondly, the soft skills are not the embellishment or grooming as some people in India might suggest but they are ‘high level cognitive skills’, here’s the

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Across the nine countries, only 43 per cent of employers surveyed agreed that they could find enough skilled entry-level workers testimony from the World Bank: As countries become richer and move up the value-added chain, the skills demanded will change. Bottlenecks will become more evident, constraining growth. Increasingly, labor productivity will depend on high-level cognitive skills (such as analysis, problem solving, and communication) and behavioral skills (such as discipline and work effort). These higher productivity skills are what employers now demand.

(Stepping Up Skills, The World Bank 2010, page 01)

Behavioral skills

In many economies, employers are searching for workers who possess behavioral skills such as teamwork, diligence, creativity, and entrepreneurship, essential to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving, technologically driven globalised economies. Thus, just improving workers’ technical and vocational skills will not always meet employers’ needs— systems that build skills will also have to ensure that these added behavioral attributes are in place (page 03) While it is evident that education can transform lives, it does not necessarily transform into employment. There is sufficient data in the world to prove that there is gap between education and employment. This gap is barely understood by policymakers, administrators and even educators. It would be apt to cite the excerpt from McKinsey report titled Education to Employment: Designing a System that Works: “Worldwide, young people are three times more likely than their parents to be out of work. In Greece, Spain, and South Africa, more than half of young people are unemployed, and jobless levels of 25 percent or more are common in Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. In the Organisation

for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, more than one in eight of all 15- to 24-year-olds are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). Around the world, the International Labour Organization estimates that 75 million young people are unemployed. Including estimates of underemployed youth would potentially triple this number. This represents not just a gigantic pool of untapped talent; it is also a source of social unrest and individual despair. Paradoxically, there is a critical skills shortage at the same time. Across the nine countries that are the focus of this report (Brazil, Germany, India, Mexico, Morocco, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), only 43 per cent of employers surveyed agreed that they could find enough skilled entry-level workers.

This problem is not likely to be a temporary blip; in fact, it will probably get much worse. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that by 2020 there will be a global shortfall of 85 million high- and middle-skilled workers.” (page 11 This deepens our concerns and further exhorts us to integrate Vocational Education and Skills Development in Indian education system. The earlier we integrate the skills discussed and illustrated above, the better it is for the youth, the economy and for the society.

Dr Haresh Tank is Director, Station-e Language Lab. In the capacity of Director, he is in charge of conceptualizing and operationalizing initiatives with a special focus on Skills Development. He holds a doctorate in Statistics and is a noted Statistical Analyst. He was also nominated for Young Scientist Aw ard. With a passion for teaching and contributing to the society, he continues to serve as Associate Professor in Statistics.

As a Director, Station-e Language Lab, he has initiated several projects in the realm of Skills Development with Government and private companies.

In addition, Dr Tank is serving as Vice Chairman, CII, Western Gujarat Zonal Council.

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Creating Future Ready Individuals With the belief that engineering institutions should give prime importance to make its students ‘industry-ready’ and ‘employable’, Bearys Institute of Technology (BIT) is focussed on keeping its courses job-oriented with research tightly woven into the curriculum. Syed Mohammed Beary, Chairman and Managing Trustee of Beary’s Academy of Learning, in conversation with ENN

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ridging the gap between industry and academia is vital in today’s world.

The gaps between the educational qualifications of young graduates and their employability quotient has been a cause of concern not just for job aspirants but also for the ruling government. The issue also found mention in the budget speech of the newly appointed Finance minister.

While the government may have woken up to this challenge today, the issue has been a matter of discussion for quite some time now and the founders of Mangalore-based Bearys Institute of Technology (BIT) seem to have gauged this scenario before hand. Founded by the Bearys Group under the aegis of Bearys Academy of Learning, BIT is an institution with a difference. The institute believes that their location and strong environmental orientation are as much part of the learning experience as the courses and academic programmes on offer.

“Our courses are market appropriate and job oriented with research given high priority and tightly woven into the curriculum,” Syed Mohammed Beary, Chairman and Managing Trustee of Beary’s Academy of Learning tells ENN. “Leveraging the extensive Bearys business network and that of our faculty, we give our students a local-global perspective as well as exposure to industry-academia interaction that eventually leads to lucrative and well-matched job pros-

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“Taking forward the legacy of our late father who was a dedicated teacher, we have been establishing several educational institutions from the primary to collegiate level since 1906. Set up under the aegis of charitable trusts, these institutions impart quality education especially to students from the underprivileged strata of society. Montessories have become an integral part of all our projects.

We also spearhead a number of socially relevant projects as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.”

Syed Mohammed Beary Chairman and Managing Trustee of Bearys Academy of Learning

pects on graduation,” he adds. There is a well-qualified faculty from across India and abroad, top–of–the–line facilities and a talented student body that is growing in numbers with every passing year. To make learning accessible, BIT also offers superior residential facilities for men and women equipped with all amenities for student comfort. Recreation and sport areas are provided to enhance student interaction outside the classrooms and increase physical fitness.

BIT is a young and dynamically evolving institution. It does not have a history but it is future ready. Energised by the contemporary education needs of demanding young people, BIT is a progressive college that moulds successful professionals and committed leaders for the 21st century.

“Delivering excellence consistently sums up the spirit of the Bearys Group,” says Syed. From the very beginning, the group has identified entrepreneurship, environment and education as three key focus areas to which the group commits a relentless pursuit of quality. “We support all our initiatives in these areas with specialist engineering and management teams who bring to our projects experience, expertise and varied skills,” adds Syed. Moreover, an eminent global network of technocrats, educators, engineers, architects, consultants and service providers who add significant value to each one of Bearys endeavours is an added advantage.

For more information please log on to www.bearysgroup.com

RNI NO. UPENG/2008/25311

UP/GBD-70/2012-14