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AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi distributed SSC examination fee assistance to nearly 1,700 students of Government Urdu Medium Schools in Hyderabad at the Party Headquarters, Darussalam.
This was done under the sponsorship of Majlis Charities Educational and Relief Trust on Thursday. Earlier, nearly 12,000 educational kits comprising school bags, long books and guide sets were distributed among Class 6th to 9th students in September, followed by All-in-One study material for nearly 8,000 Class 10th students across Telangana in October. This year, approximately 86 lakh is being spent on educational assistance. Over the last 21 years, the Trust has spent nearly 10.50 crore towards educational kits, SSC examination fees, cash awards for SSC toppers and study materials for underprivileged students. Speaking at the programme, Owaisi said that the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of Muslims at the national level stands at 40%, while Telangana records 36%, which he described as the highest among Indian states. He criticised the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in Centre for discontinuing Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Merit-cum-Means scholarships for Muslim students over the last four years. He said the Centre was citing alleged corruption during Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's tenure and the ongoing CBI inquiry as a reason for withholding scholarships. He questioned this justification, stating that the CBI had never directed the government to stop scholarships. "By withholding scholarships for the last four years, you are doing injustice to students. The CBI has not asked the government to stop scholarships. I strongly condemn this action of the Union Government," he said. Referring to educational data, Owaisi highlighted Muslim dropout rates under UDIAC data, stating that the rates stood at 8% at the primary level, 6% at the secondary level and 4% in higher education. He also referred to Uttar Pradesh Government data of year 2021- 2022 Muslim Population is 19.26% ,citing dropout rates of 17.3 % at the primary level, 12.6% at the Secondary Level and 11.7% in higher education. He further pointed out that more than 300 villages in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal do not have schools. Referring to National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data, Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi said that Muslim dropout rates stand at 8% at the primary level, 6% at the secondary level and 4% in higher education. He said, "Those ruling the country repeatedly spread the narrative that Muslim children do not want to study. This is nothing but an example of hatred. The truth is that Muslims want to study, but the question is why are they unable to do so? I urge you to read the Kundu Committee Report, submitted to the Narendra Modi Government in October 2014, which highlights the challenges faced by Muslims in accessing education." Concluding his address, Owaisi urged school principals and headmasters to counsel students about pursuing higher education, guide them in choosing the appropriate streams for Intermediate and further studies, and help them make informed decisions about their academic future. Cheques towards the examination fees were handed over to the respective school principals and heads. (ANI)
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