AP: Muslims lag behind in education, employment

HYDERABAD: It is five years since the Sachar Committee submitted its report on the status of Muslims and it’s time for stock-taking in Andhra Pradesh. Are Muslims, the largest minority community comprising close to 10 per cent of the state’s population, any better off? The answer is certainly not, if one goes by the latest survey.Abusaleh Shariff, economist and ex-member-secretary of the prime minister’s high-level committee to prepare a report ‘Social, economic and educational status of the Muslim Community of India’, carried out an AP state-specific survey to know the status of Muslims in the post-Sachar period.The survey was intended to highlight the status of Muslims in education and employment. Though, the trend of Muslims with regard to poverty is reversed, the share of Muslims in public employment and education has not increased much.Abusaleh submitted his study report to chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy here on Tuesday.According to Abusaleh, there is a problem in the definition of poverty in Andhra Pradesh, where historically rural poverty is lower than the urban poverty. This is due to the presence of Muslims in peripheral urban areas. “Only recently has this trend been reversed but the problem still persists,” he explained.Muslims dwell in relatively large proportions in urban areas of the state, the concentration being more in Rayalaseema and Telangana. In the last five years the status of Muslims has not improved considerably in employment.“Higher level of education is accessible only to a few. Any more investment in the education sector will benefit only those who have already benefited earlier,” Abusaleh opined.So what is to be done to reverse the trend?. Abusaleh comes out with some suggestions to the state government. The government has to estimate the share of flows to minority beneficiary in major programmes.For this, he suggested presentation of chief minister’s awards annually to best universities which have diversity of students. Awards to NGOs and for individuals and institutions for helping minorities, especially Muslims, have been suggested.Abusaleh said the Muslim literacy in urban areas did not increase. Schools should within walking distance for the poor.As most of the Muslims are artisans, the state should start occupation-based training programmes for them. There is also need to start community polytechnic college for masses.Abusaleh also suggested that the state set up an equal opportunity commission to oversee the share of Muslims in various educational and employment programmes.