Muslim Minority Institutions of Higher Education in U.P.

A Case Study

Abstract of the Thesis

Submitted To

Jamia Millia Islamia

By
Gulnaz Khan

Under the Supervision of

Prof. Fauzia Khan

Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (IASE)

Faculty of Education
Jamia Millia Islamia
New Delhi
 ABSTRACT

Muslim Minority Institutions of Higher Education in U.P. A Case Study

1. Backdrop

Education as an Instrument of Change

It is a popular belief that Education is the single most important instrument for social
and economic transformation. A well educated population, adequately equipped with
knowledge and skills is not only essential to support economic growth, but is also a
precondition for growth to be inclusive since it is the educated and skilled persons who
can stand to benefit most from the employment opportunities which growth will
provide.

Education, as a process of development, transforms human beings from infancy to

maturity; develops to the full the personality of every individual in all fields and aspects,
making them intelligent, learned, bold, courageous, possessed with a strong good
character, on the one hand; and contributes to the growth and development of the society
also, on the other. It is only through education that moral ideals and spiritual values, the
aspirations of the nation and its cultural heritage are transferred from one generation to
another for preservation, purification and sublimation into higher and higher
achievement. In other words, with the growth and development of the individual, the
society also develops to higher and higher levels of attainment. Thus, education is
essential both for the growth and development of every individual member of the society
as well as society per se.

The 21st century pledges itself to bring everyone under the umbrella of education,
irrespective of ones country, caste, creed or religion whatsoever. The UN millennium
goals for the 21st century offer a direct evidence of where every nation is pledged to be
headed for in terms of development targets to be achieved by 2020 through the pace and
process of education as a means to socio-economic development of every society,
globally.
 Education in Muslim Period

During this period, Arabs and the Central Asian people brought Muslim educational
models to the sub-continent, both in the medieval and early modern periods from about
the 10th century A.D. to the middle of the 18th century, i.e., before the British rule.
Within decades of the Prophet Muhammads death in 632C.E., Muslim rulers promoted
urban education by endowing libraries and literary societies. They also founded
primary schools (maktabs) in which students learned reading, writing and basic Islamic
prayers; and secondary schools (madrasas) to teach advanced language skills. India
witnessed a large number of Mohammedan invasions in the beginning of the eighth
century A. D. Mahmud of Ghazni invaded India and established a number of schools and
libraries in his own country by the looted wealth.

Medieval period witnessed a radical transformation in the Indian sub-continent. The

country was invaded by various foreign rulers and several traders from around the world
came and settled in the country. The tradesmen and the invaders brought with them their
own cultures and intermingled with people of each district of the state. Besides religion,
society and culture, education in medieval India also experienced a new perspective. The
Mughal rulers came to India, established their rule, and education developed with a fresh
look during that period with an excellent interaction between Indian and Islamic
traditions in all fields of knowledge like theology, religion, philosophy, fine arts,
painting, architecture, mathematics, medicine and astronomy.

Education in medieval India flourished mostly during the Mughal rule. Several
Madrasahs were set up by Sultans, nobles and their influential ladies. The main objective
of these Madrasahs was to train and educate scholars who would become eligible for the
civil services as well as performing duties as judges. Iltutmish was the first to establish a
madrasah at Delhi, naming it Madrasah-e-Muizzi, after the name of Muizzuddin
Muhammad Ghori. Delhi continued to develop as an important centre for knowledge,
scholars and writers. Due to the influence of Hz. Nizamuddin. Islamic Education was
divided mainly into two stages: Maktab (primary grade); and Madrasah (higher grade).

Maktab, also called kuttab (Arabic school), is an Arabic word meaning elementary
schools. Though it was primarily used for teaching children reading, writing, grammar
and Islamic subjects (such as Quran recitations) until the 20th century, Maktabs were
the only means of mass education in much of the Islamic world. While in Arabic,
Maktab refers to only elementary school, a Maktab was often attached to a mosque.
Almost every village had at least one Maktab. There were several Maktabs in towns
and cities. The Maktabs were run under the guidance of learned Maulavis who were
supposed to be very pious.

Madrasah literally means a place where learning and studying are done. The term
Madrasah is derived from the Arabic word dars (a lecture) and means a place where
lecture is given. However, in English, the term Madrasah usually refers specifically to
the Islamic institutions. The Madrasahs imparted secondary and higher education.
Often these Madrasahs were also attached to mosques. There were separate teachers for
different subjects. Special emphasis was given to the education of Islam as well as to
religious and secular subjects also. Religious education included the study of Quran,
Mohammed and his conventions, Islamic laws, Islamic history etc. Secular education
included the study of Arabic literature, grammar, history, philosophy, mathematics,
geography, politics, economics, Greek language, agriculture etc.

Education in this period was religion dominated. The foremost aim of education during
the Muslim period was extension of knowledge and propagation of Islam, Islamic
principles, laws and social conventions. Its aim was to make persons religious minded as
also achievement of material prosperity. There was intimate relationship between the
teacher and the pupil, although the practice of living with the teacher was not as common
in the Muslim period as it was in the case of Brahmanic and Buddhist period. The
teacher had to interact with his students in the way their biological fathers treated them.
A father loves his children and is always concerned about their welfare; he wants to see
them develop from all angles, physically, emotionally, morally and intellectually. The
social status of teacher and character was high. Though emoluments were small they
commanded due respect and confidence.

Education for girls was an exception; girls of affluent families studied at home the
quoranic exegesis, prophetic traditions, Islamic law (sharia), and related subjects.
Although there was Pardah system during the Muslim period, yet Islam did not oppose
the education of women. Many cities played a prominent part in imparting higher
education during the Muslim period in India at places like Delhi, Agra, Ajmer, Jaunpur
and Bidar. (V.K. Maheshwari, Education in Buddhist Period in India)
2. Growth of Higher Education Institutions in India

At the time of Independence, the higher education scenario in India was quite bleak and
poorly placed on three important indicators, namely (i) the number of educational
institutions; (ii) the teachers; and (iii) the students. The period after 1950s indicated an
exponential growth in terms of these indicators.

India takes pride in claiming itself to have one of the largest educational system in the
World today, after China and U.S, with the time-old reputation of having universities
like Nalanda and Taxila even in the ancient times, too. Historians have enough evidence
to justify this claim, thereby establishing that higher education in India has had deep
roots in its soil since the earliest times. The Mughal period did not have much to claim, it
being a period of wars and instability. During the colonial rule, even though the
Britishers were more interested in themselves than caring the least for education of the
Indian masses, yet their contribution stood noteworthy in ushering in a new era for
modern education. Yet their contribution stands more than obvious in giving a modern
look to education.

3. Problems Galore

Higher education

Higher education is of vital importance for the country. It is a powerful tool to build
knowledge based society of the 21st century. Higher education means education
imparted to students beyond the level of secondary education. Often the term is assumed
as education imparted by the colleges or the universities. In fact, the institutions of
higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools
in the field of law, theology, medicine, business, music, art etc. Higher education also
includes institutions like teachers training schools, community colleges and institutions
of technology.

Higher education system is, in many parts, in a state of despair...In almost half the
districts in the country, higher education enrollments are abysmally low; almost two-
third of our universities and 90 per cent of our colleges are rated below average on
quality parameters... in many states university appointments, including that of vice-
chancellors, have been politicised and have become subject to caste and communal
considerations; there are complaints of favouritism and corruption. (Former Prime
Minister, Manmohan Singh, 2007)

After passing the Senior Secondary Examination, students may enroll in general degree
programmes such as bachelors degree in arts, commerce or science, or professional
degree programmes such as engineering, law or medicine. Indias higher education
system is the third largest in the world, after China and the United States. Department of
Higher Education under Ministry of Human Resource Development oversees higher
education in India. The department is empowered to grant deemed university status to
educational institutions on the advice of the University Grants Commission, under
Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956. The main governing body at
the tertiary level, is that the University Grants Commission, which enforces the
standards, advises the government and helps coordination between the centre and the
states. Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by 12 autonomous institutions,
established by the University Grants Commission, to usher in reforms that would make
India one of the largest education hubs in the world in days to come.

Some institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been globally
acclaimed for their standard of undergraduate education in engineering. The IITs enroll
about 10,000 students annually and their alumni do contribute to the growth of both
private and public sectors in India, although they have not had any significant impact on
fundamental scientific research and innovation. Several other institutes such as the
Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Indian Institute of Science
(IISC), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Harishchandra Research Institute
(HRI), etc. are, however, acclaimed for their standard of fundamental research in basic
sciences and mathematics.

India has yet to produce world class universities, both in private as well as public sectors.
Besides a few top-rated universities which provide highly competitive world class
education to their pupils, India seems to have become home to many universities,
founded with the sole objective of making easy money. Regulatory authorities like BCI,
MCI, UGC, NCTE, NAAC and AICTE only appear to have been trying hard to extirpate
the menace of private universities, running courses without any affiliation or recognition,
but to little purpose. Many private colleges and universities do not fulfil the required
criterion and take their students for a ride. Many of them continue to run unaccredited
courses as there is no legislation strong enough to ensure legal action against them.
Quality assurance mechanism has no teeth to stop misrepresentations and malpractices in
higher education. Even regulatory bodies have often been accused of envelop culture and
corruption of diverse dimensions. Lack of solid quality assurance mechanism makes
institutions themselves to step up and pep up their standards by self-regulation to keep
their good names intact.

Times Higher Education Supplement identified only three Indian universities listed
among the worlds top 200 universities, that is, Indian Institute of Technology; Indian
Institute of Management; and Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2005 and 2006. Six Indian
Institutes of Technology and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani were
listed among the top 20 science and technology schools in Asia by Asia week. The Indian
School of Business, Hyderabad, was ranked number 12 in global MBA rankings by the
Financial Times of London in 2010 while the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has
been recognized as a global leader in medical research and treatment.

Open and Distance Learning

At school level, National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) provides opportunities for
continuing education to those who missed completing school education. Over 14 lakh
students are enrolled at the secondary and higher secondary level through open and
distance learning. In 2012, various state governments also introduced STATE OPEN
SCHOOL to provide distance education to needy students.

At higher education level, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) offers
distance learning, with a cumulative enrolment of over 15 lakh, serviced through 53
regional centres, 1,400 study centres and 25,000 counsellors. The Distance Education
Council (DEC), an authority of IGNOU (now with the UGC) is co-coordinating 13 State
Open Universities and 119 Institutions of Correspondence Courses in conventional
universities. While distance education institutions have expanded at a very rapid rate,
most of these institutions need an upgradation in their standards and performance. There
is a large proliferation of courses covered by distance mode without adequate
infrastructure in place, both human and physical. There is a strong need to correct these
imbalances. The Open Learning System allows a learner to determine ones pace of
learning and provides education at the doorstep of the learner. The mode of transaction is
through self-learning print material, supplemented by audio and video programmes,
accessing material through internet and various other media platforms.

Womens education

The number of literate women among the female population of India was just 26% as in
1947. Concerted efforts led to improvement from 15.3% in 1961 to 28.5% in 1981. By
2001, literacy for women exceeded 50% of the overall female population, though these
statistics were still very low compared to world standards and even male literacy within
India. The governments Saakshar Bharat Mission for Female Literacy sought to
bring down female illiteracy by half of its present level. Women have a much lower
literacy rate than men. Of the girls enrolled in schools, many of them drop out.
Conservative cultural attitude prevents some girls from attending school, especially
among muslims and other disadvantaged groups.

Education of women plays a significant role in improving living standards of the people.
A higher women literacy rate improves the quality of life, both at home and outside, by
encouraging and promoting education of children, especially female children, and in
reducing the infant mortality rate. Several studies have shown that lower levels of
women literacy rates result in higher levels of infant mortality, poorer nutrition, lower
earning potential and lack of ability to make decisions within a household. Womens
lower educational level adversely affects the health and living conditions of children,
too. A recent survey showed infant mortality rate to be inversely related to female
literacy rate and educational level. For example, Kerala, with a female literacy rate of
about 86 per cent has the lowest infant mortality rate while Bihar and Uttar Pradesh with
much too lower literacy rates have the lowest life expectancies in India. It also suggested
direct correlation between education and economic growth, as indicated also by the UN
Millennium Development Goals over the years.

4. Muslims as Minority in India

Muslims constitute Indias largest religious minority as well as the second largest
Muslim population in the world after Indonesia. The 2001 Census enumerated Indias
Muslim population at over 138 million, and by 2006, the Muslim population was
estimated to be over 150 million. Indias Muslim population is amongst the largest in the
world, exceeded only by Indonesias and close to the Muslim population of Pakistan and
Bangladesh. Muslims are a majority in provinces like Jammu and Kashmir and
Lakshadweep; and they live in high concentration pocket in Andhra Pradesh, Assam,
Bihar, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal

Muslims in India, despite being one of the biggest minority community, are known to be
badly lacking behind in terms of literacy and education; and on many other factors,
being one of the most backward communities in the country, even after 67 years of
independence. Muslims fall behind other religious communities in the area of industrial
promotion, economic pursuits, technical and vocational education as well as training in
trades. Documents like Sachar report also highlighted that Indias largest minority group,
the Muslims, numbering 13.83 crore, have been left out of the development trajectory.

5. Rights of Minority to Establish and Administer Educational Institutions

Article 30 of the Constitution of India defines Rights of Minority to Establish and

Administer Educational Institutions: -

(1) All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish
and administer educational institutions of their choice.

(1-A) In making any law providing for the compulsory acquisition of any property of an
educational institution established and administered by a minority, referred in clause (1),
the State shall ensure that the amount fixed by or determined under such law for the
acquisition of such property is such as would not restrict or abrogate the right guaranteed
under that clause.

(2) The State shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions, discriminate against
any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority,
whether based on religion or language.

Clause (1) gives right to all minorities, based on religion or language to establish and
administer educational institution of their own choice. With Articles 29 and 30 grouped
together, it will be wrong to restrict the rights of minority to establish and administer
educational institution concerned with language, script and culture of the minorities. The
reasons are: First, Article 29 confers the fundamental rights on any section of the citizens
which will include the majority also whereas Article 30(1) confers all rights on all
minorities. Secondly, Article 29(1) is concerned with language, script or culture, whereas
Article 30(1) deals with minorities based on religion or language. Thirdly, Article 29(1)
is concerned with the right to conserve language, script or culture, whereas Article 30(1)
deals with right to establish and administer educational institutions of the minorities of
their choice. Fourthly, the conservation of language, script or culture under Article 29(1)
may be by means wholly unconnected with educational institutions, and similarly,
establishment and administration educational institutions by a minority under Article
30(1) may be unconnected with any motive to conserve language, script or culture. A
minority may administer an institution for religious education, which is wholly
unconnected with any question of conserving language, script or culture. Maybe Article
29(1) and Article 30(1) overlap, but the former cannot limit the width of the latter. The
scope of Article 30 rests on the fact that right to establish and administer educational
institution of their own choice is guaranteed only to linguistic or religious minorities, and
no other section of citizens has such a right. Further Article 30(1) gives the right to
linguistic minorities, irrespective of their religion. It is, therefore, not at all possible to
exclude secular education from Article 30.

Clause (2) is only a phase of non-discrimination clause of the Constitution and does not
derogate provisions made in clause (1). The clause is expressed in negative terms: the
state is, therefore, enjoined not to discriminate in granting aid to educational institutions
on the ground that the management of the institutions is in the hands of minority,
religious or linguistic. The clause does not mean that the state is competent otherwise to
discriminate so as to impose restrictions upon the substance of rights to establish and
administer educational institutions by minorities. The rights established by Article 30 (1)
is intended to be a real right for the protection of the minorities in the matter of setting up
of educational institution of their choice.

6. Need and Context of the Study

In the broader context of the background profile of Muslim minorities and the general
scenario of minority institutions, the nature of inputs provided for their inclusive uplift, it
becomes worth it to examine the core issues of the crucial problems of the Muslim
minorities more intensively through a case study of a state that is more or less
representative of the Muslim minorities of the country as a whole. The state of Uttar
Pradesh with a Muslim minority of nearly 15% of the total with a good number of
educational institutions at different levels and grades, both in terms of school education
as well as higher education, both indigenous as well as in modern context of education
has been chosen rather deliberately to highlight the delicacies of the problems being
faced in promoting the cause of higher education in a comprehensive and inclusive way.
Hence, the statement of the problem:

6.1 Statement of the Problem

MUSLIM MINORITY INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN UTTAR

PRADESH: A CASE STUDY

6.2 Rationale

This study is concerned with the Muslim minority higher education institutions and the
role played by these institutions in the development of education in general and of
Muslim minority in particular, with a focus on issues like:

The 21st century is witnessing huge change in terms of the way education is being
imparted. A great need is there to bring everyone under the umbrella of
education. No nation can afford to neglect any section of society.
Muslims constitute the second largest religious group in India and thus the largest
minority. Muslim community has set up many educational institutions at all
levels; yet, in spite of that, Muslims in India are, by and large, considered to be
educationally backward. Number of institutions increased but the quality of
education declined. Education is one of the most lacking aspect in the Muslim
community. Only a handful of Muslims are getting higher education in the
country.
Uttar Pradesh is the most populated state of our country, the population of
Muslims in Uttar Pradesh is presentably good but their participation in Education
is far less than their population; the literacy rate of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh
depicts a very depressing scenario.
Various committees on Minority Education reveal that current status of Muslim`s
access to higher education level is very low and their representation(growth rate)
 at higher education level is even lower than that of the most deprived scheduled
caste candidates of the country.
So, this study will be an effort to get to know the reason why are Muslims still
educationally backward; what is the role played by these institutions in the
development of education of Muslim minorities in Uttar Pradesh and how far
these institutions are trying to create equal opportunities of education for Muslim
minorities in Uttar Pradesh?
The findings of the study will be useful in reshaping and revamping the minority
higher education plans as well as policies related to these institutions, so that the
minority sector gets quality higher education as per need of the 21st century.

6.3 Method and Procedure of the Study

Four Government aided muslim minority P.G. colleges namely, (i) Mustaz Degree P.G.
College, Lucknow; Karamat Hussain Muslim Girls P.G. College, Lucknow; (iii) Shibli
National College, Azamgarh; and (iv) Gandhi Faiz e-aam College, Shahjahanpur formed
the sample of the representative colleges in the state. Their case study involved four-fold
approach that is, (i) Investigators on-the-spot observation, (ii) college Principals
Perception; (iii) Facultys Response (40) and (iv) students reactions (400) on various
dimensions of the college profile and their achievements over the long period of their
existence as well as their contribution to the muslim minoritys well-being and uplift as
the supreme cause of higher education provided therein.

6.4 Objectives of the Study

1. To study the historical development of higher education institutions of Muslim

Minority in Uttar Pradesh.
2. To determine the changes that occurred to improve the quality of education in last
two decades in these Muslim minority higher education institutions.
3. To find out the objectives in terms of vision, mission and immediate targets of
these Muslim Minority higher education institutions.
4. To study the plan of action to achieve the present objectives of these Muslim
Minority higher education institutions.
5. To identify the structure of education and courses provided by these Muslim
Minority higher education institutions.
 6. To study the programmes and activities of some of the major departments of
these Muslim Minority higher education institutions.
7. To determine the functioning of these Muslim minority higher education
institutions in terms of infrastructure, instructional facilities and faculty.
8. To study the role of NGOs to improve the quality of education of these Muslim
minority higher education institutions.
9. To investigate the government intervention in improving the quality of education
of Muslim minority higher education institutions.

7. Summary of Conclusions and their implications

7.1 Realization of Objectives of the Study

In order to take stock of fulfilment of the nine-fold objectives of the study, the sources of
data collection involved as stated above a four-fold approach, namely: (i) on-the-spot
observation of various inputs made available in the institutions; (ii) interaction with the
head of the institution; (iii) Facultys response as well as; (iv) its students reactions to
understand the profile of each college vis--vis their goal orientation and implementation
strategies. The profile of each college determined on various parameters as envisaged on
the part of the administrator; and the teachers profile as they themselves visualized as a
means to good quality higher education in their respective minority institution tended to
provide a quick response to the realization or actualization of the stipulated objectives of
the study.

The institution profile and the faculty profile, being complementary as well as
supplementary to each other, provided flashback on the achievement of respective
objectives and a feedback on the nature of gaps that existed in theory and practice; or that
keep the objectives segregated from ground realities.

A peep into their responses on various variables involved in the study provided an
indication on how best have the objectives of the study been satisfied or otherwise? Their
responses being more or less meaningful and self-explanatory, they can be taken for their
face-value, while on-the spot appraisal by the investigator as well as students responses
may be taken as an evidence in support or contradiction of the study objectives.
Of the nine-fold objectives, the 8th objective, to study the role of NGOs to improve the
quality of education of these minority institutions had to be written off as none of the
sample colleges, all being government aided, ever engaged to seek help from any NGO
whatsoever.

The remaining eight objectives of the study stand the test of scrutiny based on data
collection directly from the stakeholders as well as beneficiaries which tends to promote
the veracity of the objectives under study. The set of 4 sample colleges have a long
history of their own and their outstanding contribution to the development of Muslim
Minority higher education in Uttar Pradesh over the decades speaks volumes of progress
and development of education among Muslim boys and girls in higher education (UG
and PG) levels. For instance, during the year 2013-14, Muslim students enrolment, both
boys and girls, reached over half the mark of all students in these four colleges coupled
with an excellent enrolment of Muslim girls, in particular, to be at par with their
counterpart boys in higher education. Contrary to popular belief, the awareness level for
higher education among Muslim minorities seems to have multiplied in multifold ways
as the data of these four college reveals, duly authenticated by principals, faculty as well
as students themselves.

They have set their own standards of quality education, with own plans of action and
strategies to forge ahead to fulfil their cherished objectives, to improvise their structural
paradigms of higher education in their different departments to be at par with the best
mainstream higher education institutions in the country and elsewhere. Their special
emphasis on Muslim girls higher education with reservation in admission, fee
relaxation, merit scholarships etc. coupled with more and more girls hostels is bound to
give a further fillip to Muslim womens empowerment through imparting them quality
higher education, especially via government intervention facilitation programmes and
projects.

Obviously, the study in hand takes care of all the stipulated objectives of the study in
view while working out the strategies to fulfil its objectives fairly and squarely
7.2 Implications for Sustainable Development in Higher Education

In this process at least three fundamental issues came to the fore as bottlenecks to
sustainable development in higher education. First, the orthodox belief that all modernity
is counterproductive; second, the wide-spread inertia to change in the mindset of
educators and teachers by and large: and third, the various inputs of unproductive
teaching force known differently such as guest teachers, contract teachers outsource
teachers, peer teachers etc. working half-heartedly at school and higher education over
the last few decades, that has really marred and massacred the whole system of education
in India as such.

The implication of such findings are partly or wholly supported by earlier studies, too,
like that on Educational Problems of Minorities in India: An Analysis (Khosla, D.N.)
that highlighted the minorities peculiar problems, especially that of the Muslims in these
words: Analysing the delicacies of issues rooted in history, it highlighted that the frame
of their problems depends primarily on their deep-seated nature requiring fundamental
research as their problems have become chronic to the extent of being perennial, ever-
constant in the past, present, maybe, as well as in future, as if in-built in their very ethos.
That is why all efforts to ameliorate their lot fizzle out as superficial and at surface level,
unless they themselves wake up to rise above their placid prediacaments couched in their
milieu per se, in their resistance to change to modernise in the contemporary context.
And this is probably, the root-cause of their remaining backward.

This analysis further revealed, as per Census 1971, the Muslim population is in majority
in Lacacdise and Minicoy Islands (94.73%) and Jammu and Kashmir (65.85%) and good
enough in Assam (24.03%), West Bengal (20.46%), Kerala (19.50%), Uttar Pradesh
(15.48%), Bihar (13.48%), Mysore (10.63%) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(10.12%). They are also in majority in good many numbers of districts in different states
in the country. Overall, their population was reported to be 11.21% of total population;
16.21% of Urban and 9.47% of rural population respectively in 1971. Despite their being
more concentrated in urban areas, their inertia towards modernization seemed to be
rather paradoxical. The analysis also revealed that this paradox gets further complicated
and complex when examined in terms of linguistic minorities. This may be obvious as
per findings of a symposium on the role of minorities in the process of nation building,
reported in Seminar, 132, August 1970: As many as 70% of the Muslims in India cannot
read or write Urdu. It remains only a spoken language for them to address their day-to-
day tasks, indicating their level of functional literacy to cause nation building; in short,
their problems remain too many and too confounded to reckon with.

A somewhat similar findings was reported (Shirley, M. Mebay, 1987) at the American
Association for the Advancement of Sciences vis--vis Quality Education for Minorities
Project in this way. This project, confined to United States of America, found that by
the year 2015 or so, minorities will make up one-third of our population and a higher
proportion of our workforce. From this group can come a major share of the skilled
technicians, scientists, engineers and doctors as well as teachers, generals, policymakers,
financiers and a host of other professionals that America needs to move ahead in the
twenty-first century. That is only possible if members of minority and majority groups
alike work together to reverse many of the adverse conditions now shadowing our
prosperity. This American finding has a universal appeal for the minorities and the
majorities to work together on their way to sustainable development and progress,
leaving aside their prejudices and dead-end ethos.

Mousa, Raza (2011) also maintained that there is a section of the people among the
Muslims, (even) sociologists and academics, who believe that the religion of Islam
plays a role in keeping women, (and even men most often), illiterate (in the modern
context of education). He quotes-Sachar Committee observation in this context, stating
There is also a common belief that Muslim parents feel that education is not important
for girls and that it may instill a wrong set of values. Even if girls are enrolled, they are
withdrawn at an early age to marry them off. This leads to a higher drop-out rate among
Muslims girls. Our interactions indicate that the problems may lie more in non-
availability of schools within easy reach for girls at lower levels of education, absence of
female teachers and availability of scholarship as they move up the education ladder. In
some cases, absence of vital facilities in schools such as toilets keeps the girls away from
schools.

7.3 Implications of Conclusions based on Stakeholders overall Perception

Bottlenecks to higher education among Muslims as perceived by the stakeholder

principals of the sample muslim minority colleges revealed, among others, the following
factors as responsible for poor status of Muslims in higher education, that is, parents
illiteracy as the major bottleneck perceived by all, poverty as the second biggest factor as
also different accessibility to higher education institutions. Parda system was found to be
a bottleneck factor by the only Girls College Principal, not others in co-ed. institutions.

However, by way of conclusion, in the overall view of these principals: The vision,
mission and objectives of the sample colleges seemed to be holy and pious with a
positive out-look for building a wholesome society of human beings, irrespective of
religion, castes or creed, with a view to bringing the minority communities at par with
the mainstream inculcating in them universal, dynamic and vibrant values like
nationalism, tolerance, brotherhood through higher education; with commitment to learn
knowledge as ones bounden duty; with special efforts to promote womens education at
all levels and cost; and to impart inclusive education integrating knowledge and skills,
bridging the gap between theory and practice; and imbuing the best of culture and the
best of science together to transform the society for sustainable development; and finally,
as one of these college principals says, to make the institute of learning comparable to
the best in the country.

In a way, the vision, mission and objectives portrayed by the sample colleges tended to
bear with and satisfy most of the objectives stipulated for the study. Being pretty old,
they have witnessed their growth from their being madarasas in 1883 and 1912
respectively to being post-graduate colleges over time; another one, started as an under-
graduate college in 1947, is also now pretty old to share its experiences on the growth
and development of muslims education in Uttar Pradesh. The fourth one, started as an
under-graduate college in 1974, too, has over forty years experience of its growth to post
graduate college to share its experiences on the development of muslims education in
the state. The evidence rendered by the Principals of these institutions is surely very
valuable, indicating that education of the minorities, especially of the muslims, at the
university level is on the move, going pretty strong, despite many as bottleneck
confronting them on various counts. This evidence, in brief, supports the intent of the
study in hand to quite a great extent.
8. Suggestions for Further Work

Based on Stakeholders View Point

The Principals of the sample colleges suggested facilitating Muslims involvement in

higher education, seeking ameliorative measures like financial assistance by the college,
scholarships by the Govt., Hostel facilities at subsidized rates and counselling and
remedial classes of students as perceived by all these colleges as well as free books by
three of the four sample colleges, besides reservation in admission, fee relaxation, merit
scholarships by one each of this sample group of colleges. Under staff enrichment
strategies, they opted for orientation and refresher courses for teachers to improve quality
of schooling in higher education. However, they were all disappointed on one count that
seriously disturbed their working ethos:

All the college principals of the selected sample expressed that the arrangement of
managing higher education with purely temporary, ad-hoc, contractual or guest teaching
staff to meet the demand of shortage of teaching staff, is the least workable and as such
they have been badly suffering on this account over the years for decades on end. This
time gap arrangement suffers from its own weighty problems, not amenable to quality
schooling at all

Performance Appraisal

Self-appraisal and methods of teaching are also responsible for the quality of education
being provided by the respective teachers. Hence, it was planned to know whether self-
appraisal and assessment by others is being done for the betterment of teachers and the
education imparted by them. The methods of teaching have also very significant role in
overall performance of teachers.

Performance appraisal is done in four ways, that is, by self-appraisal by teachers

themselves in respect of their own teaching, by peer teachers to exchange their
experiences; by students who make appraisal of their teachers teaching in the classroom;
by experts who not only assess the teachers teaching but also provide a bit of advice to
serve as feedback for quality improvement in teaching and learning. These practices are
followed in each of the sample colleges in quite a big way even though some of the
faculty feel shy of receiving any kind of feedback from experts, perhaps due to some
kind of an inertia to change, on their part. In that, 21 out of 40 teachers of these colleges
received due feedback from experts while 15 denied having done so.

Similarly, a mix of traditional and modern methods of teaching is adopted by 21 out of

40 teachers of these colleges. However, 12 strictly follow traditional teaching method
while only 7 in two colleges, namely Mumtaz PG college and Gandhi Faiz-e-arm adopt
only modern methods. Five teachers in the first college, namely Mumtaz PG also adopt
ICT as teaching method. That is to say that the most of the faculty (35 out of 40) do not
make use of ICT in teaching even in this age of digital galore and social media formats
and platforms.

Participation in Allied Activities to boost students performance

Faculty is expected to help its students prepare, conduct and coordinate their activities in
this era of open competition and socio-cultural excellence. The faculty is alive to its role
in this context; notably, to find that as many as 56 students of these four colleges passed
the NET during the last 5 years with a maximum number of girls, that is, 33 belonging to
Karamat Hussain PG Girls College alone, indicating womens empowerment in quite a
big way as compared to other three co-ed colleges of the sample minority institutions,
yielding NET pass outs as 2, 6 and 15 respectively. The leadership of this Girls College
in achieving excellence in education as a duty, bound to its motto, well established itself,
especially, in muslim girls empowerment.

The faculty of these colleges encourages its students to take active part in co-curricular
activities like debates, seminars, cultural activities as well as sports and games: and here,
too, the said girls college takes the lead over its counterparts with at least 10 fetes in
each group of activities.

Besides these, these colleges also organize excursions, science exhibitions, quiz
competitions, speeches and essay writing on different issues for students under the
supervision of the faculty as also national level programmes for the benefit of students,
such as NSS, NCC etc. with active cooperation of the faculty.
 Academic Freedom

Academic freedom is in place in these colleges in various forms such as (a) research
grant; (b) study leave; (c) in-services training; (d) Nomination to participate in seminars;
and (e) freedom to organize seminars.

8.1 Facultys Suggestions

Faculty suggested a few improvement possibilities for minority higher education

institutions to improve and catch up in pursuit of excellence in Higher Education. Some
of these are:

1. Institutional Planning de novo every year based on needs-assessment and

feedback over the year in every aspect of the programmes, policies and
provisions and to chalk-out a concrete plan of action for the ensuing session.
2. Beautification of college campus to make it look smart and attractively ambient
as an educational institution with a humane face in true love for mankind, nature
and environment.
3. Extensive facilities for research, innovation and development at individual and
institutional levels to promote and boost the quality of schooling at all levels.
4. Intra-university as well as inter-university interaction to exchange and reciprocate
meaningful teaching-learning experiences to promote excellence in higher
education minority institutions to be at par with others.
5. Since there is a big gap in adopting ICT as an important input in pedagogy in
minority institutions, there is an urgent need to organize crash programmes for
the method-master faculty to brush up their knowledge and practice in the
modern techniques of teaching and learning.

8.2 Based on Literary Research Overview

Quality Education for Minorities Project (Shirley, M. Mcbay, 1987) suggested nine
principles to promote education among minorities:

First and the most obvious principle is that interventions should occur at the
earliest possible time. Early intervention in pre-school and parent education,
along with day care and nutrition, is essential. It has lasting effects.
 Second, we must restructure our school systems to promote rather than
discourage the education of minority students. To achieve this goal, we must
introduce a great deal more flexibility, decentralization, and, most importantly,
accountability into the systems. Administrators and teachers must have the
authority and resources to respond to the unique needs of the students they serve,
but, at the same time, we must be able to hold them accountable for results.
The third 'principle is to make curricula more responsive to the needs of
minority children. That will require teachers to use texts, lesson plans, and other
resources that are better able to instill a sense of pride and self- esteem in their
students. Further, minority children need to be taught the same kinds of higher-
order skillsand, by that we mean, the ability to frame as well as solve
problems, to use knowledge, to communicate effectively, and to think critically
as their more affluent peers in the suburbs are learning.
Fourth, we must find a way to make the best teachers available to those who
need them the most. All too often, it is the least experienced teachers who are
assigned to the lowest-achieving schools. Instead, through financial and
administrative incentives, we must recruit the best teachers for the toughest
schools. As part of this effort, we must redouble our efforts to recruit more
minority teachers.
Fifth, we must change the role of schools in society. Schools have to stand in
for absent parents, substitute for welfare departments, work with teenage parents,
deal with drug and sexual abuse, provide afternoon and evening day care, and
undertake a host of other extracurricular activitiesin effect, social services
that go far beyond the band or the football team.
Sixth, we must do a better job of coordinating existing community programs
and services that help minority youth.
Seventh, we must revitalize the resources available from minority communities
themselves.
Eighth, we must formalize links between segments of the educational
pipeline.
The Ninth and the final principle is that we must make incentives clear for
minorities in higher education. Another part is better mentoring and research
 opportunities for young minority scholars. And the most basic part is in
establishing zero tolerance for racist behaviour by students, faculty, or staff.

9. Further Research Possibilities

The findings of this study do reveal a host of extant as well as on-going areas, potential
enough for further research possibilities, such as:

9.1 Research in Breaking Inertia to change and modernisation

Contrary to the popular belief that Muslim minority institutions in India are, by and
large, averse to change, quick-fixed as if to tradition, this set of Muslim institutions of
the selected sample tends to prove it otherwise, at least at the level of higher education.
Their motto, being transforming Muslims into a dynamic and vibrant society through the
medium of higher education and making the learning in their institutions comparable to
the best in the country, surely demolishes this myth and makes them going strong in their
vision, mission and action despite many a bottleneck on their way from being a mere
madarsa in 1883 and 1912 (in too respectiveness) to full-fledged PG colleges over the
years, so also other two colleges in place since 1947 and 1974 respectively. They throw
an open challenge for other muslim minority institutions around the country to conduct a
SWOT based analysis of their performance and achievements especially in the context
of breaking their barriers to change and transformation as a wholesome process, at least
every five years, if not annually, as also suggested by faculty of the sample colleges, too.

And for the sample colleges themselves, a good deal of research possibilities are
available to conduct intensive case studies of respective institutions to bring out their
research based souvenirs on the eve of their golden, platinum and centenary celebrations
etc as due, to goad and guide other sister institutions to be on the move to innovate to
share their contribution in the nation building task as perceived by this set of sample
institutions.

9.2 Research in Breaking Womens Isolation from Education

Another myth that is commonly and candidly observed in Islamic view of education
according to some Muslim Scholars is, that education is not important for girls and that
it may instill a wrong set of values. This common belief among Muslim parents is
vehemently shattered by all the sample Muslim institutions chosen for the study, maybe
due to three of them being co-eds, while the fourth purely a girls college. Their
favourable attitude towards girls education is not a mere showcase, as their faculty
seemed to stand united not only to empower women with the best of their education but,
more so, to educate them to imbibe the best elements of culture vis--vis the best benefit
of new vistas of knowledge. This set of select muslim minority institutions not only feel
proud of their academic and professional excellence but also of the fact that a big chunk
of their students, especially girls, successfully knock through national level competitions.
The single girls college contribution being the best, for example, with its 33 girls
clearing the NET during the last five years as against 23 (both boys and girls combined)
from the remaining three sample colleges. This evidence surely reveals that muslim girls
are not only eager and keen to pursue further education but also to compete to prove their
merit in human endeavours in various fields. They need more and more facilities and
opportunities to do so. It is a matter of deep concern and research, especially for muslim
minority institutions to think big about girls education and to afford maximum inputs for
their education to share their potentials for a sustainable knowledge society that the
nation dreams of collectively. They need to rise above the delicacies of fallacious issues
rooted in history as well as in their very in-built ethos over a period of time. The clarion
call of the sample institutions is to wake up to the cause of muslim girls education in
quite a big way with an imminent urgency for research and innovation in this area of
womens empowerment at individual and institutional levels.

9.3 Breaking the Fallacy of Outsource Teachers

A major bone of contention for the sample colleges is the adhoc appointment of guest
teachers at different levels of schooling as well as in higher education, which, in the
opinion of faculty is counter-productive and ultra vires. Although in vogue over the last
two decades or so, it simply causes undue bad blood and ill-will among the staff. In the
words of the faculty: this arrangement does not help much due to the huge gap in their
remuneration and every year renewal of their term, besides many other problems that
hamper quality education and smooth functioning of the college. All the principals of
the sample colleges expressed their deep concern saying, this arrangement of managing
higher education with purely temporary, adhoc, contractual or guest teaching staff is the
least workable, making the college suffer badly on this count for decades on end. This
time-gap arrangement suffers from its weighty problems, not amenable to quality
schooling at any level. This practice has now become quite a big problem for individual,
institutional and corporate research not only for minority institutions but also for all
types of educational institutions at various levels, as it is adversely affecting the
education system as a whole.

9.4 Research in holding the Brief that Muslim minority Institutions can do it, too.

Besides many a sundry problem that a Muslim minority institution is bound to confront
in its day-to-day functioning, the findings of the study refer to a host of specific issues
like taking up a leadership role in promoting awareness about the importance of
education for community uplift and boosting the spirit of brotherhood among human
beings that the selected set of institutions do promise to foster in their sister institutions
as well as in public at large seems to be a welcome move to show that the minority
institutions, too, can do it. Their promise to spread knowledge about government
schemes for development and welfare of minorities points in the same direction, much
though subject to many a research input and possibility.

9.5 Research in Pindoras Box of Problems hosted by various Commissions,

Committees etc. recently

The flood of observations, suggestions and recommendations made in the recent decade
about education of minorities, muslims in particular, referred to in the study and other
documents also deserve serious attention of researchers and research institutions. This
indeed is a stupendous task for them to do through research and innovation as an integral
part of their programmes and activities.