Voicing concern over the level of participation of minority children in higher education, a committee has favoured setting up of model degree colleges in 90 minority-concentrated districts with full central assistance to the states.

“One college may be established in each such district which may offer courses in science, humanities and commerce,” the Standing Committee of the National Monitoring Committee for Minorities Education suggested in its report presented to the HRD Ministry recently.

The report emphasised on the need for an efficient system of data collection to know the actual situation of minority education in the country while noting that data of enrolment of minority children was not available.

The report merely referred to a study based on 2007-08 data which revealed that gross attendance ratio of Muslim minority was only 8.7 per cent as compared to 16.8 per cent in case of non-Muslims.

Quality of teaching being key for minority education, the report pressed for better incentives to teachers for promoting quality education in madrasas.

It said salary of graduate teachers under the scheme for promoting quality education in madrasas should be enhanced from Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 and post graduate teachers from Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000.

Examination fee should be waived for madrasa students opting for examinations conducted by National Institute of Open Schooling and on passing out, they should be given a cash incentive of Rs 1,000 so that more students can be attracted to take the examination, it said.

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