Thaindian News

New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) The newly-constituted committee for monitoring education access among minorities met for the first time Monday and decided to set up five panels to look into various aspects of education focusing on minority communities.

“After scheduled tribes, minorities, specially Muslims, are most backward in education. Strong steps are needed to bring them into the mainstream,” union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here after the meeting of the committee.

“Change can only be brought when we decide that in next five years, we have to change the face of the situation, and this is the first step,” he said.

The committee includes eminent representatives from all minority communities.

The minister informed that the committee will meet again after three months to assess the progress of its work.

“We will form different committees, and meet again in three months. The aim is to ensure minorities have access to education,” he said.

Five committees will be made which will focus on vocational skills training focusing on minorities-dominated districts, implementation of schemes focused on minorities, promotion of Urdu and increasing employability, education of girls from minorities, and mapping education requirements in regions.

“There is a need to map areas of minority domination within minority districts. Many times there are enough schools at district level, but minorities are restricted to small area in the district, where they may not have access to schools,” Sibal said.