|
In 1976, we started a scheme to raise academic standards in and improve Board Examination results of Muslim Inter Colleges in Uttar Pradesh. Has anything been achieved? Or, have we just been hitting our heads against the wall of Muslim apathy towards education? In this very brief report, we shall see the progress and improvement in 27 years, from 1976 to 2003, in 15 colleges. From all these 15 colleges, in 1976 or 27 years ago, 836 Muslim girls had appeared and 489 or 58% had passed in the Inter Board Examination and one or 0.12% had attained first-division. On the other side, 306 non-Muslim girls had appeared of whom 200 or 65% had pass and 5 or 1.63% in first-division. The result
(pass % as well as proportion of first-division) of Muslims was markedly poorer than that of non-Muslims. Muslims were phisaddi. Why? Many intellectuals, leaders, well-wishers (and what-nots) of Muslims started telling the reasons for the poorer results of Muslims. To hell with all these damned reasons, we said, Muslim girls must make an effort to improve their educational performance.
In 2003, from the same old 15 colleges, 2360 Muslims girls have appeared, 2140 or 91% have passed, 467 or 20% in first-division. On the other side, 649 non-Muslim girls have appeared, 498 or 77% have passed, 125 or 19% in first-division. The combined pass 91% of Muslims is much better than 77% of non-Muslims. Proportion of first-divisions, 19.76% of Muslims is only marginally better than 19.26% of non-Muslims.
 |
The number appeared in the Inter Board Examination increased: Muslims from 836 to 2360 or 2.82 times and non-Muslims from 306 to 649 or 2.12 times. The number passed increased : Muslims from 489 to 2140 or more than four times and non-Muslims from 200 to 498 or just two-and half times. The rate of increase in the number of Muslim girls appeared and passed is higher. Much needed too, as Muslims were (and are still) far, far behind others in education.
As we say again and again, mere pass is not enough. In these days of (stiff is no word) killing competition, our children need at least first division marks in Inter to even get admission in some useful course of studies in some decent university, even in our own dear Aligarh Muslim University. The number of Non-Muslim first divisions increased from 5 in 1976 to 125 in 2003, twenty-five times. in the same span of time, the number of Muslims first-divisions increased from one to 467 four-hundred-and-sixty-seven times.
This is not as Aesop's tale Yet, the moral of the story is that, instead of complaining, wailing and whimpering all the time, if Muslims just make a sincere, earnest, determined, concerted effort, they can come forward. Muslim girls of these colleges have themselves proved this, even if to the chagrin of ghamkhwaaraane
millat. q
Subscribe
to the PRINT edition NOW: Get the COMPLETE picture
32 tabloid
pages, Twice a month
Delivered at your doorstep
|
