BENGALURU: In a significant policy shift, the Karnataka Congress government has amended regulations regarding minority educational institutions, alleviating the burden of mandatory student enrollment quotas based on religious affiliation. The new directive emphasizes the composition of the institution’s management committee, prioritizing representation from under represented communities.
The decision aims to alleviate challenges faced by around 3,000 aided and private religious and linguistic minority schools in the state. The Department of Minority Welfare issued the order on March 16, following the Cabinet’s approval on March 12.
Citing data from the 2011 Census, the government highlighted the difficulty in meeting enrollment quotas due to the relatively low population of minority groups such as Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis. Consequently, the requirement for schools to allocate a specific percentage of seats based on religious affiliation has been removed.
The decision aligns with guidelines from the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, which prioritize the composition of trustees and the institution’s stated mission over student demographics. This adjustment applies to both existing and newly-established institutions, excluding medical colleges.
Naseer Ahmed, MLC and Chief Minister’s political secretary, played a pivotal role in advocating for these changes, emphasizing the need to relax criteria for declaring educational institutions as religious minority institutions.
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