Lok Sabha Question No. 3893 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-09
Subject: Improving Literacy Rate
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: POONAMBEN HEMATBHAI MAADAM

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3893 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2017

## IMPROVING LITERACY RATE

## 3893.  SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Ministry is considering to outline a detailed road map for improving the literacy rate of the minorities in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether recommendations have been suggested by any panel and if so, the response of the Government regarding the same; and
- (c) the strategies devised/being devised by the Government  to implement the recommendations and the timeline for it?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI)

(a)  to  (c):  At  present,  the  Ministry  of    Human  Resource  Development  (MoHRD)  and Ministry  of  Minority  Affairs  (MoMA)  are  implementing  a  number  of  schemes  for  educational empowerment of six (06) notified minority communities viz. Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jains and Parsis, which are as under:

- A. Schemes implemented by MoHRD
2. (a) Sarva  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (SSA)-  with  components  for  creation  of  educational infrastructure in Minority Concentration Districts (MCD). such as  Primary/Upper Primary  Schools,  Additional  Classrooms,  Kasturba  Gandhi  BalikaVidyalayas, Number of Posts of Teachers for teaching Urdu, etc.
3. (b) Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasa.
4. (c) Infrastructure Development of Minority Institutes.
- B.  Schemes implemented by MoMA
6. (i) Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme;
7. (ii) Post-matric Scholarship Scheme;
8. (iii) Merit-cum-Mean based Scholarship Scheme;
9. (iv) Maulana Azad National Fellowship;
10. (v) Free Coaching & Allied Scheme;
11. (vi) Support  to  minority  candidates  clearing  Prelims  conducted  by  UPSC/SSC, State Public Service Commission (PSC) etc.; and
12. (vii) PadhoPardesh- Interest Subsidy on Educational Loans for overseas studies.
13. (viii) Scholarship Scheme for meritorious minority girls students by Maulana Azad Education Foundation.
14. (ix) Besides,  Infrastructure  Development  efforts  are  also  being  taken  under  the following two schemes for improving literacy in general:
- a. Grants-in-Aid Scheme for Infrastructure Development of Educational Institutions under the Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF)
- b. Multi Sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) of MoMA.

Details  of  these  schemes  and  achievements  made  there  under  are  available   on  the Ministry's website www.minorityaffairs.gov.in.

The Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) is a Society, working under the aegis of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. MAEF, in its 52nd meeting held on  29.12.2016,  constituted  a  Committee  to  go  into  the  modalities  for  establishment  of institutions in different parts of the country  with  a  view  to  facilitate  educational development of the minorities. This Committee recognized the fact that school education is  the most important for the deprived children of minority communities, and there is an urgent need to ensure that these children have access to quality primary, secondary  and higher secondary education. The Committee also noted the fact that the majority of these minority  children  drop  out  or  fail  to  clear  the  matriculation  examination  or  have  been unable to continue with further studies. These children, thus, needed to be appropriately brought back into the education system through the institution of community colleges to be administered by the MAEF.

The said committee has submitted its report on 06.07.2017 to the General Body of MAEF, which has adopted the said report. The Committee in its report has recommended for a three tier model of educational institutions for minorities having:

-  211 Central Schools at the bottom;
-  25 Community Colleges at the middle; and
-  5 National Institutes at the top level- for (a) Science & Technology; (b) Health & Allied Sciences; (c) Architecture Planning & Design; (d) Climate Change & Disaster Management; and (e) Renewable Energy & Food Security under the MAEF with sufficient autonomy to each institute.

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