EQUALISATION OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SCS/STS AND MINORITIES
The National Policy on Education, (NPE) 1986 as updated in 1992, lays special emphasis on the removal of disparities and equalization of educational opportunities by attending to the specific needs of those who have been denied equality so far, particularly Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and educationally backward minorities.
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF SCHEDULED CASTES AND SCHEDULED TRIBES The central focus in the educational development of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes is their equalization with the non SC/ST population at all stages and levels of education and in all the four dimensions: rural male, rural female, urban male and urban female.
There has been a substantial increase in the enrolment of children belonging to SCs and STs at the primary stage. The dropout rates of SCs and STs at all stages of education have declined.
Special provisions for SCs/STs have been incorporated in the existing schemes of the Ministry as follows in brief :-
Schools/NFE Centres are provided within 1 km. of walking distance for a habitation of 200 population. Costs of education such as text books, uniforms, school bags, transport etc. , are also provided by some State Governments. A fair percentage of beneficiaries under the programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NSPE) are likely to be SCs and STs children. special emphasis has been laid on SCs/STs under various schemes such as Operation Blackboard, Navodaya Vidyalayas and National Literacy Mission (NLM). Reservation is provided in admissions to Central Universities and prescribed qualifying norms are also relaxed. Special cells have been set. up in UGC/ Universities for effective monitoring of various measures taken up for improvement in the educational level of SCs/STs. Reservation for admission is also provided in community Polytechnics and IITs under relaxed norms. special courses are also conducted to prepare them for entrance examinations to higher technical institutions. Scholarships are also provided to them at various stages of education.
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Minorities Education Greater attention to the education of educationally backward minorities is provided in NPE and POA in the interests of equity and social justice and existing schemes have been modified and new schemes launched.
The scheme of Area Intensive Programme for Educationally Backward Minorities was launched in May, 1993 with the objective of providing basic infrastructure and facilities in the areas of concentration of educationally backward minorities which do not have adequate provision for elementary and secondary education.
The scheme of Modernisation of Madarsa Education was also initiated in 1993-94 with a view to encouraging traditional institutions like Madarsa and Makhtabs to include Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Hindi and English in their curriculum.
The scheme of coaching classes for educationally backward minorities was introduced by UGC to prepare them for various competitive examinations.
Focus is also given to minorities in externally assisted basic education projects such as DPEP, Lok Jumbish and Total Literacy Campaigns for Adult Education programmes which are taken up in minority concentration districts. Policy norms and principles for recognition of minority managed educational institutions have been finalised and circulated to State Governments. A National Monitoring Committee under the Chairmanship of Union Minister of Human Resource Development was set up in July, 1995 to closely monitor the educational programmes for minorities. National Council for Promotion of Urdu language has been set up and a National Urdu University named after Maulana Azad is being set up at Hyderabad.
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