MUMBAI: Ex-VC, Mumbai University, ex-member of Rajya Sabha and former Planning Commission member Bhalchandra Mungekar has slammed the Centre for stopping pre-matric (class 1 to 8) scholarships for the students of minority communities. Mungekar was among the participants at an interaction to protest the scrapping of pre-matric scholarships to minorities students organized by think tank Movement for Peace and Justice (MPJ) at the Mumbai Press Club on Saturday.
"The pre and post-matric scholarships were started after the Sachar Commission submitted its findings about the poor economic and educational condition of the Muslims. Muslims make 75% of the minorities and stopping of pre-matric scholarships is going to hit the community hard. Given the high rate of malnutrition among Muslim children, the high dropout rate (25% among Muslim children between 6 and 14 years), the end of this scheme means more minority children will drop out," said Mungekar who, as the Planning Commission member, has toured the minority-concentrated areas extensively.
Ex-Mumbai University VC Bhalchandra Mungekar added that schemes of pre and post-matric scholarships played a big role in reducing dropout rate among minority children. "Other minorities like Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains will not be affected much as poverty among Muslims is bigger than among other minorities.
Education activist Dr Kazim Malik also referred to the Centre's decision to stop the scheme of fellowships for research scholars from minority students. The ministry of minority affairs gave scholarships to minority scholars doing MPhil and PhDs.
"This will discourage minority students from going for higher studies. Instead of incentivising the poor and needy among minorities," said senior Urdu editor Sarfraz Arzoo.
Meanwhile, former minority affairs minister in Maharashtra has written a letter to PM Narendra Modi, requesting him to restore the pre-matric scholarships of minority students. He said that the notice withdrawing the scholarships was issued after the parents had applied for it. "If this scholarship us withdrawn, drop out rate among minority students will further increase," said Khan.
