Asaduddin Owaisi criticises Union government over discontinued scholarships and education gaps

Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi has strongly criticised the Union government for discontinuing pre-matric, post-matric, and merit-cum-means scholarships, calling the move an injustice to students. Speaking at the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen headquarters in Darussalaam, he distributed educational kits and exam fee help to about 1,700 students from government Urdu-medium schools. He stated that withholding these scholarships for the past four years harms students.

Education Data and Dropouts

Mr Owaisi highlighted various datasets to point out gaps in educational access and dropout rates within the Muslim community. He noted that 15 percent of Muslim children did not attend school according to 2014 data, while National Family Health Survey 5 figures showed that the proportion of girls aged six to 17 who had never attended school was highest among Muslims compared to other communities. Citing UDISE data, he noted that minority students made up 14.5 percent of Class X students in 2020-21, rising to 24.4 percent the following year. With Muslims making up 14 percent of the country's population, he pointed out that representation drops from eight to six percent from primary to secondary levels, and falls to four percent in higher education classes XI and XII. He also referenced Uttar Pradesh enrolment data for 2021-22, where minority shares stood at 19.26 percent of the population but enrolment was 17.3 percent at the primary level, 12.6 percent at secondary, and 11.4 percent at higher secondary.

Regional Figures and Key Reports

Focusing on Telangana, Mr Owaisi stated that nearly five lakh students take the SSC exams annually, and with a 12 percent Muslim population in the State, roughly 60,000 to 65,000 Muslim students should appear, including about 8,000 from Urdu-medium schools. He added that the Gross Enrolment Ratio for Muslims in Telangana is 33.6 percent, lagging behind the State average of 40 percent but still ranking highest in the country, followed by Tamil Nadu at 27.6 percent, based on National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration data. Citing the Kundu Committee report submitted in October 2014, he noted that Professor Amitabh Kundu identified a lack of financial resources, unsafe environments for girls, and an absence of schools in over 300 to 400 villages across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal as major barriers to education. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the Kundu Committee report to understand these challenges.

Context

Scholarships like pre-matric and post-matric financial aids are designed to support students from minority and economically weaker backgrounds through their schooling years. Committee reports such as the Kundu Committee findings are official review documents used to study socio-economic and educational conditions of minority communities in India. Public figures frequently use government and survey data like UDISE and National Family Health Surveys to debate policy decisions regarding educational funding and welfare schemes.