Asaduddin Owaisi | Hyderabad, Nov. 5 (Maxim News): AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi distributed SSC examination fee assistance to nearly 1,700 Urdu medium students in Hyderabad.
The programme was held at the party headquarters, Darussalam, on Thursday. The assistance was provided through the Majlis Charities Educational and Relief Trust.
The initiative supports students studying in government Urdu medium schools. Cheques covering examination fees were handed over to the respective school principals and headmasters.
The Trust has allocated approximately ₹86 lakh for educational assistance this year.
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Earlier, the Trust distributed nearly 12,000 educational kits among students from Classes 6 to 9 in September.
Each kit included school bags, long notebooks and guide sets. In October, the Trust distributed All-in-One study material to nearly 8,000 Class 10 students across Telangana.
Over the past 21 years, the Trust has spent nearly ₹10.50 crore on educational support.
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This assistance has included educational kits, SSC examination fees, cash awards for SSC toppers and study materials. The beneficiaries have primarily been students from underprivileged backgrounds.
Asaduddin Owaisi Highlights Muslim Students’ Enrollment Gap
Addressing the programme, Owaisi highlighted the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in Telangana. He said the state’s overall GER stands at 40%.
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However, the GER among Muslim students stands at 33.6%, he said. He stressed the need to bridge this gap and improve Muslim students’ enrollment.
Owaisi also noted that Telangana records the highest GER among Indian states.
He criticised the Narendra Modi-led BJP government for discontinuing several scholarship schemes. These include Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Merit-cum-Means scholarships for Muslim students.
He said the Centre had withheld these scholarships over the past four years. According to Owaisi, the government cited alleged corruption during Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s tenure.
He said the Centre also referred to an ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry. However, Owaisi questioned the justification for withholding scholarships.
He argued that the CBI had never directed the government to stop the scholarships.
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“By withholding scholarships for the last four years, you are doing injustice to students. The CBI has not asked the government to stop scholarships. I strongly condemn this action of the Union Government,” he said.
Owaisi Cites Muslim Dropout and Enrollment Figures
Owaisi referred to UDIAC data while discussing Muslim students’ dropout rates. He said the dropout rate stood at 8% at the primary level.
The rate was 6% at the secondary level and 4% in higher education, he said.
He also cited Uttar Pradesh government data for 2021–2022. According to the figures he mentioned, Muslims account for 19.26% of the state’s population.
However, Muslim enrollment stood at 17.3% at the primary level. It was 12.6% at the secondary level and 11.7% in higher education.
Asaduddin Owaisi further said more than 300 villages in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal lacked schools.
He also referred to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). He said the survey indicated that Muslim girls recorded the highest proportion of school non-attendance.
The data concerned girls aged between six and 17 years. Owaisi said the proportion was higher among Muslims than other communities.
Asaduddin Owaisi Urges Students to Pursue Higher Education
Owaisi rejected claims that Muslim children were unwilling to pursue education. He said financial and other barriers prevented many students from continuing their studies.
“Those ruling the country repeatedly spread the narrative that Muslim children do not want to study. This is nothing but an example of hatred. The truth is that Muslims want to study, but the question is why are they unable to do so?” he said.
He urged people to read the Kundu Committee Report. The report was submitted to the Narendra Modi government in October 2014.
According to Asad Owaisi, the report highlights challenges faced by Muslims in accessing education.
Concluding his address, Owaisi appealed to school principals and headmasters to guide students. He urged them to counsel students about pursuing higher education.
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He also asked school authorities to help students select suitable streams for Intermediate education. They should also guide students in making informed decisions about further studies.
The examination fee assistance cheques were handed over to the respective school principals and headmasters. (Maxim News).
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