Planning Commission Member says
By A Staff Writer
Bangalore: Planning Commission Member Syeda Hameed asked the minorities to come up with their representations on their grievances before Planning commission. While speaking at a seminar “Dare to Lead” by Raza Education and Welfare Society, here on December 5, Ms. Hameed, who is also chancellor of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, said the Scheduled Caste lobby was much organized and strong in representing their grievances and issues, hence claimed better allocations from the Planning outlay. She said Muslims were better placed in southern states than the vast majority living in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and West Bengal where dropout rate was quite high. She said Muslims must wake up everywhere and strive to put their issues in a language and idiom that gels with the Constitutional guarantees. She showered praises on Dr. Benazeer Baig, the secretary of the Raza Educational and Welfare Society which runs the Excellent School for the Child labourers for the last 17 years.
Speaking at the occasion, Syed Zameer Pasha, IAS retd and joint secretary of the Al Ameen Education Society, said no amount of grieving would help. We must get out and enroll every child in school and adopt all those measures that would keep him in school for considerable period of time.
Journalist Maqbool Ahmed Siraj said though in literacy ratings the Muslims in South Indian states figure higher than communities, but education should be measured from diverse yardsticks such as 1: GER-General Enrolment Ratio (how many kids attaining five years of age are enrolled into school every year), 2: MYS-Mean Years of schooling (children from a community attend schools for how many years on an average, and 3: Final attainments: i.e., How many persons attain education for levels upto SSLC, PUC, Degree and PG and professional/technical qualification. Looked at from this angle, there is scope for cheer even in southern states. He emphasized that in this fast-paced age only those with precise and exact knowledge can survive in the tough economic race. Several professions are losing their relevance on a da to day basis.
Mr. Hamza Hussain, Deputy Superintendent of Police, focused on sexual exploitation of the children which leaves them trauma-ridden for life. He said victims in this case do not come forward for legal remedies for fear of getting stigmatized.
Mr. Ahmed Ali Advocate recounted his experience of establishing a school for labourer’s children at Peenya Industrial Area in collaboration with the Muslim Industrialists Association of Peenya.
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