Reservation For Backward Among Minorities Not Ruled Out: HRD

New Delhi, July 12 (UNI) The government today announced moves to establish minority schools and colleges on Navodaya lines, raise the standard of Urdu instruction and did not appear to rule out reservation for backward sections of Muslims or other minorities.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting of the National Monitoring Committee for Minorities Education at Habitat Centre, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh reminded a questioner that the Indian Constitution made no provision for religion based reservation.

But asked further whether reservation might be provided to the backward sections of the minorities, he did not appear to rule it out and indicated it might be considered if it is possible under the Constitution.

The questioners asked about it in the context of an ongoing move to reserve higher learning seats for backward classes other than scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and a recent Andhra Pradesh High Court ruling in the matter.

The Monitoring Committee was set up after a national conference two years ago addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stressed a serious look at minority education issues.

A statement handed out after today's meeting spoke of setting up minority schools and colleges along the pattern of Navodaya Vidyalayas in 125 districts with more than 12 per cent Urdu speakers.

It said such institutions may be managed either by Urdu University, Hyderabad or the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language.

Asked afterwards how these schools would be different from the existing Navodaya schools, the HRD Minister told UNI it was a new idea and would be examined in detail before he could elaborate.

On recognition of minority institutions, Mr Singh said the process was fraught with difficulties and sought to be simplified.

The HRD Minister emphasised a largescale effort to train Urdu teachers and special Kasturba Gandhi Bal Vidyalayas for minority girls.

The task of training Urdu teachers may be assigned under Central sponsorship to such institutions as Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Milia Islamia and Urdu University, Hyderabad.

The Minister told the news conference that minority cells have begun functioning in such agencies as the University Grants Commission and the National Council of Educational Research and Training to coordinate minority needs.

His attention was drawn to remarks by the Uttar Pradesh government that the Central efforts were an attempt to gain political mileage and in fact harmful to minorities. He declined to respond to any such political insinuations.

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