(ii) Suitable centrally sponsored schemes should be formulated in the VIII Five Year Plan for implementing the strategies for the development of educationally backward minorities.
(iii) A revised list of minority concentration districts and blocks should be prepared by the Ministry of Welfare taking into account all relevant facts. Schemes for the development of the minorities should be designed for such blocks and districts.
(iv) Studies and surveys should be commissioned on selective basis by Research organisations, Universities and other Central and State Agencies.
(v) In areas where there is concentration of the educationally backward minorities, girls hostels should be constructed in schools and colleges on a priority basis.
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(vi) NFE equivalent to primary schooling should be adequately provided in areas of concentration of educationally backward minorities. The Scheme of NFE needs to be reviewed and strengthened accordingly. This is necessary to reduce the drop-out rate.
(vii) State Governments should extend their scheme of remedial coaching to cover students of educationally backward minorities. Remedial coaching should also include enrichment classes for the relatively better students.
(viii) A time-bound crash programme of school improvement with an in-built mechanism for covering minority concentration areas with the on-going programmes of Operation, Blackboard, Non-formal Education and District Institute of Education and Training should be implemented on priority basis.
(ix) The safeguards guaranteed in the Constitution to linguistic minorities in respect of education at the primary and secondary stages should be effectively implemented.
(x) A suitably designed centrally sponsored scheme should be launched in areas of minority concentration to ensure the availability of Urdu knowing teachers in schools. The Group feels that the present formula of providing facilities for instruction through the medium of Urdu at the primary stage should be implemented effectively. Where the situation warrants on the basis
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of existing formula, the Group recommends that Urdu medium sections may be opened in the existing secondary schools. Urdu knowing teachers should be appointed in anticipation of students offering Urdu as a medium. The Group is not in favour of any amendment of Three Language Formula. However, the State Governments should make earnest and positive efforts to provide for the teaching of Urdu within the framework of the Formula in areas where Urdu is spoken by a substantial number of people. It should be ensured that Urdu Textbooks are made available to the school students on time alongwith textbooks in English/Hindi.
(xi) A centrally sponsored scheme for introduction of Science, Mathematics, English, etc., in traditional schools with suitable acceptance of the scheme by the schools should be entirely voluntary.
(xii) Educational programmes with a vocational bias should be introduced in the educational institutions in areas of concentration of educationally backward minorities on a priority basis. Training programme in crafts in which there are inherited skills among educationally backward minorities should be organised through craft training institutes. Efforts should be made to locate such craft training institutes in area of concentration of educationally backward minorities. Where these institutes are available, in such areas, they should be upgraded on a selective basis as advanced craft training centres so that the inherited skills of the
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educationally backward minorities become more productive.
(xiii) The coaching scheme of the UGC should be revamped and expanded to cover all minority concentration areas. Where necessary, new coaching centres should be opened in these areas for remedial and enrichment coaching in selected schools. The existing scheme of the Ministry of Welfare for providing pre- examination coaching of minorities through reputed voluntary organisations should be strengthened and extended to provide remedial coaching at school level. The Group hopes that while doing so, the Ministry of Welfare will take into consideration the involvement of non-Government organisations known for their interest in educational development of-minorities.
(xiv) The Group also felt that it is absolutely necessary to ensure on a continual basis the training of teachers in minority languages and their utilization for the purpose for which they had been trained. A Centrally Sponsored Scheme for appointment of language teachers, fully funded by Government of India, should be launched in the Eighth Five Year Plan.
(xv) The alarming rate of drop-out among the minority students should be checked, by specially designed measures. Incentives should be given to poor minority students in the shape of freeships, stipends and uniform. They should also be given pre-matric and
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post-matric scholarships.
(xvi) There should be special funding for programmes included under 15-Point Programme for Welfare of Minorities.
(xvii) 15-Point Programme for Welfare of Minorities should include a specific point on General Education.
(xviii) Voluntary Organisations, Federations and Associations of Minority-managed institutions should be encouraged and actively associated with the functioning of minorities education.
(xix) Special Monitoring should be taken up in respect of the schemes/programmes recommended for implementation in minority concentration areas.
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair.
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PARTICIPANTS IN THE GROUP ON SC/ST AND MINORITIES EDUCATION
1. Shri E.T. Mohammad Basheer, Chairman
Minister of Education,
Kerala.
2. Shri I.C. Srivastava,
Secretary (Education),
Govt. of Rajasthan Rapporteur
3. Shri Syed Khaleefatullah,
Member, CABE.
4. Shri R.K. Sinha,
Additional Secretary,
Department of Education.
5. Shri Mata Prasad,
Additional Secretary,
Ministry of Welfare.
6. Shri Sharada Chandra Behar,
Principal Secretary,
Tribal Welfare,
Madhya Pradesh.
7. Shri T. Munivenkatappa,
Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Welfare
8. Shri K.K. Khullar,
Consultant, HRD.
9. Shri Jaswant Singh,
Director of Public Instruction,
Punjab.
10. Shri S.A. Deokar,
Director of Education,
Maharashtra.
11. Shri S.S. Salgaonkar,
Director, MSCERT,
Maharashtra, Pune.
12. Shri Jai Ram Singh,
Deputy Educational Advisor (P),
Department of Education.
13. Shri U.C. Deb Barma.
Jt. Director Education,
Government of Tripura.
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14. Shri B.K. Sarkhel,
Senior Research Officer,
Tripura.
15. Shri S.S. Vyas,
Dy. Director,
Directorate of P&S Ed.,
Rajasthan.
16. Shri Rafiq Ur Rahman,
Asstt. Director,
Ministry of Welfare.
17. Shri G. Balachandran,
Dy. Director,
Department of Education.
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