Established in 1966 in Bangalore with a view to provide quality education for members of the Muslim community, the Al-Ameen Educational Society today provides education to about 70,000 students across India, writes Subhan Shariff

The Al-Ameen Educational Society was established in 1966 in the city of Bangalore to provide for educational facilities to the minorities, especially members of the Muslim community. With a specific focus on education, banking and health sectors for the benefit of the downtrodden sections, especially members of the Muslim community, the founder Dr Mumtaz Ahmed Khan also laid the foundation of a big movement called “Al-Ameen Movement”.
Before the institution came into being, there was no centre of higher education for Muslims in Karnataka. Together with eight institutions of higher education in Bangalore along with 20 branches running primary, high school, pre-university courses and colleges in Kerala, Maharashtra, Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Rajasthan, U.P and Orissa with a total of 380 institutions under its ambit.
The founder Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, an educationist and social worker, devoted a majority of his life to promote education among minorities, especially among the Muslims of Karnataka. In recognition of his services in the field of education for the past 48 years and for bringing about an educational revolution among the minorities, the alumni of the society conferred upon him the title of ‘Baba-E-Taleem’.
The journey of the society through these years, though, has not been easy. In general, minority educational institutions were prone to financial challenges in the initial years and many courses are still unaided with insufficient infrastructure. In our case, the first challenge was lack of educational awareness in the community. This was coupled with the lack of dedicated and devoted social workers. However, with the inception of Al-Ameen Educational Society, these issues have largely been addressed and today, quality education is delivered. Today, Al-Ameen stands tall as among the premier educational institutes in India with an illustrious background of 40 years in the field of education.

What makes Al-Ameen unique

• Experienced qualified faculty
• Well-equipped libraries
• Air-conditioned seminar halls
• State-of-the-artlaboratories
• Internet facilities round the clock
• Well-organised placement cell
• Industrial visits on a regular basis

Student intake over the years has improved and there are 5,000 students in the city campus and 70,000 all over India with the break up of girls and boys in the ratio of 1:1.5. In a special scheme offered by us for women students, scholarships are provided from the management, NGOs and other agencies apart from minority commission facilities.
As far as attracting talent goes, attempts have been made to keep merit as the benchmark. However, seats are not denied to those who seek higher education. Many of our students who completed their MBA, MCA, M.Pharma, M.Sc, M.Com and B.Ed degrees are today well-placed in both corporate and public sectors. The frequency of interface and interaction with industry is also well established by the management college.
Our students, graduation and higher, are exposed to campus recruitments of both corporate and public enterprises as an annual affair. This is something that the management takes very seriously and has recruited a full-time qualified placement officer on campus. In an attempt to keep students abreast with the latest technology trends, ICT has been made a mandatory part of the curriculum in all courses at all institutions. The National Skill Development Corporation is actively involved with out institution for placements in the corporate and government sectors. To promote education and prevent students from droppingout, parents are also given counselling and students are provided Al-Ameen Scholarships to pursue studies.

“In an attempt to keep students abreast with the latest technology trends, ICT has been made a mandatory part of the curriculum in all courses at all institutions”

It has also been the management’s constant endeavour to procure maxi- mum educational benefits for the stu- dents and the community, regardless of which government is in power. However, there are a few issues that need to be ur- gently looked into. Minority certificates should be issued only by the state gov- ernment on organisational level and not institution-wise, which as a process has become very cumbersome. There are no avenues for the institution of research fellowship in individual institutions by the Central Minority Commission. We also feel that exchange programmes at the international level, publication of papers by Muslim research scholars and establishment of centres of higher education with one centre in each state should be encouraged. An academic staff college on the UGC pattern should also be set up in Bangalore for Muslim teachers and PG students to get refresher courses and orientation programmes. The government can also look into set- ting up of a branch of the Central Minority Commission in Bangalore as a zonal headquarter for south Indian states to enable management of minorities for speedy disposal of grievances.

Established with the ambition to improve the state of the Muslim community through education based on Islamic culture, the Al-Huda Islamic International School today runs as the only government recognised English medium Islamic school in Rajasthan

AMuslim is obliged to offer a conducive environment to their children for their Islamic upbringing and that is possible only through an Islamic school and a home with Islamic etiquettes and manners. The school believes that there is a dichotomy that exists between religious and worldly academic education in the current scenario and strives to bridge this gap through quality English-medium academic education in a secure Islamic environment. It was with this ethos and such beliefs that led to the establishment of the Al-Huda Islamic International School in 2004.
The school began a decade ago as Nusrathul Masakeen Educational Committee but was later changed to Nusrathul Masakeen Trust in 2006 and then to Sivagangai Nusrathul Masakean Educational and Research Society in the year 2009. At the outset, the committee helped and supported the Muslims by donating for the marriage of poor girls, funding their education and partly taking care of the medical treatment of the poor. It was in 2006 that saw the establishment of a Nursery and Primary School that currently provides education from L.K.G to standard VIII. The ambition of the school is to take this institution to the college level.
The school has 14 trained graduate teachers, four pre-primary teachers, three primary teachers, one teacher for physical education, one yoga trainer, two teachers for Hindi, and three part- time staff for Arabic. Admission to the school costs a modest `100 and the student intake has also increased with each passing year. There is also a provision to obtain scholarships from the trust.

Arresting the Dropout

• Providing low-cost education and free education for people below poverty line
• Counselling to explain the importance of education, especially to villagers
• Motivating girls to set goals and achieve them
• Helping students in getting scholarships from the central government

The Challenges

Things may seem settled now but the journey so far has been ridden with a lot of operational struggles. Not only has the school management struggled to receive a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state government for attaining the status of a minority institute, it is still facing serious challenges in getting affiliation from the Central Board for Secondary Education.
Even if one looks at the issue of minority education and the institutes that are set up with this objective in mind, there are issues that need to be addressed. There are several minority institutions who do not follow their goals and aims and there is lack of implementation in terms of what they set out to do. While there are examples where the ideas and efforts of minority institutions have been implemented and have been successful, there are also an ample number of cases where there have not been any follow-ups even after the ideas have been implemented.

Looking Ahead

Despite the struggle and the challenges, the institute has managed to attract the best talent available and also provides career counselling for its students. The school has faith that it will progress as a major institute that can make a difference. In the future times, the institute wishes to attach more importance to the education of minorities, especially Muslim women, in order to create awareness about life and explain how they can dispense their duties in a more fruitful manner if they are educated.

Seldom can India forget the year 1857, the first war of independence against the colonial rulers. In contrast, the same year, a Christian missionary was helping Indians brew another revolution, this time against female illiteracy. An ENN report

It was the time when female education was only a vision. In the city of Nagpur in Maharashtra, there was absolutely no provision for girls’ education beyond the middle school stage. The girls who wished to continue with their education beyond this stage had to go to boys’ schools and this was no easy thing to do in those days.
It took the courage and resolve of Mrs Cooper, wife of a Nagpur missionary, who thought that the time had come when a beginning was made. With the belief that action was better than just ideas, she took the lead and opened a school in the verandah of her bungalow in 1857 and named it Coopers School. In 1858, with 13 students on roll, the school was re-christened to St. Ursula Girls’ High School.
It took 12 years for the school to get its old building and by 1871, the strength of students at the school grew to 50. It was then that the government took note of the school and sanctioned a grant of `25, a huge amount in those days. Interestingly the medium of Mrs Cooper’s school was Marathi.
In essence, Mrs Cooper pioneered the cause of girls’ education in Maharashtra. The institution soon took firm roots which proved that it was needed. In 1887, Mrs Cooper entrusted the responsibilities of the school to a band of women who kept up the noble work with Ms. Smith at the helm of affairs as its first Principal. In 1907, the first student from the school passed the matriculation examination and five years later, the school got recognised from the Allahabad University.
The actual development of the school, however, began only in 1924 when it got a new building. After a few years, the school opened a Hindi section, was upgraded to Higher Secondary in 1962 and was permanently recognised 1966 onwards.
With a series of achievements, awards and titles, the institution has gradually spread its wings. Ursula has established a junior college with commerce, science and bifocal (computer science and electronics) to impart knowledge and nurture girls towards reaching greater heights. “Ursulites believe in accomplishing dreams for an educational system that makes one self–reliant and independent to lead a dignified life,” says the current Principal Rachna Singh. “Children are a bundle of talent and their holistic development has been our aim,” she adds.
With a team of committed and enthusiastic faculties, trainers and teachers, the Ursula family has managed to motivate students to progress in life and explore and rise to greater heights. Besides academics, the institution also has RSP, NCC, Social Service, MCC, Guide, CMCA, and PTA and rotary interact club wings, inculcating a scientific temperament and encouraging the students to learn and get groomed through enjoyable activities.
Ursula is not restricted to classroom studies, but has also imparted skills of cognition, effective communication, negotiation computing and value-based education for a harmonious life. The school believes in inspiring students to be on the forefront of talent and potential and provides them with a conducive environment to display their talents and skills. Through the number of years that the school has been in existence, it has transformed itself and in turn, helped transform the lives of several girls of Nagpur who, along with their future generations, owe their dignified and educated existence to this very school.

Islamic society is founded on the principles of belief and righteous conduct. The challenges of modern times call for rebuilding the structure of our educational programme on such a foundation so as to fulfil our spiritual as well as worldly obligations says Aslam Khan, Vice President, Iqra Management Committee in conversation with ENN

The Islamic values education curriculum called for at Iqra focusses on personality and character development of children, close attention to the real needs and concerns of students and readying students with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed to function successfully as Muslims in society. Keeping this in mind, the Global Education trust is providing education at par with the international standards to students coming from different strata of the society through IQRA International Pre-Primary School and Maktab (schooling).
Today, we need an education system which can produce Muslim experts in all fields of knowledge who would reconstruct the social order in accordance with the tenets of Islam. For academic education, we follow the NCERT syllabus and for Islamic education, we follow guidelines laid down by the renowned University of Makkatul Mukarramah. In fact, we have been accredited by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for the Open Basic Education (OBE) programme.
The academic section comprises English, Marathi, Hindi, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Computer Education, while the Islamic section comprises Tajweed, Hifz of Quran, Islamic Studies, Sirah of the Prophets, Word to Word English translation of Quran, Arabic Language and Hadith studies. There are a host of extra-curricular studies provided by the school such as martial arts, educational excursions, quiz, science exhibitions, sports and public speaking.
The Global Education trust had started the IQRA International Pre-primary School and Maktab in Mumbai-Mazgaon area with a mere 272 students, starting from Play group and Nursery to sixth standard in 2010. Today, the school has reached 4,000 students in a span of 4 years, spreading across IQRA branches in India.

Our Vision

Our vision is to develop strong and highly educated Muslims by giving them Islamic and academic education. The idea is to hone them as articulate, reflective and open to others point of view; have the confidence to express themselves and discuss ideas; and actively contribute towards their own development and the development of others.

Mission

It is our aim to impart a balanced system of education comprising of academics and Islamic studies to our children. We strive to help them excel in subjects such as Mathematics, Science, English, History, Geography, Computer Studies etc. We nurture and encourage our children to develop their innate creativity and inquisitive nature in the pursuit of academic excellence while anchoring their hearts and souls in a moral framework of a virtuous and righteous life. Everyone endeavours to create constancy of purpose towards improvement of the student and the service provided. This means that achieving our goals is dependent upon providing training for students, teachers and administrators, creating an Islamic environment and team spirit, and above all, an open door policy, as well as a positive caring atmosphere across the school.

The Concerted efforts of the institutions under the Rifa – hul muslimeen Educational Trust have healped educational graph Masore’s Musilm community gain an upward trajectory .ENN reports

Historically known for of Karnataka, has been challenging. Prior to 1961, the Muslim community was not keen on attaining education. There were hardly any high schools in the city and only a handful of Muslim boys could secure admissions in these schools. The re- maining students, which formed the majority, either discontinued their education or migrated to other cities.
It was only after the establishment of Farooqia Boys High School in 1961, Farooqia Girls High School in 1963 and the Farooqia Teachers Training Institution in 1977 that things took a turn for the better and the Muslim community was drawn into taking the initial steps towards learning and knowledge. Today, with the concerted efforts of these institutions, the graph of education in the Muslim community in this city has managed to gain an upward trajectory.
It all started when leaders of the Muslim community congregated at Anjuman- e-Itehade Islam under the chairmanship of Mohsin-Ul-Mulk and Mohammed Sait and resolved to establish a high School which was named the Farooqia Boys’ High School, after the second Kalif of Islam, Hazrath Umar Farooque. Majlis-e-Rifa-hul Muslimeen, a registered society managing two orphanages – Muslim Boys Orphanage and Muslim Girls Orphanage made the application and soon, Farooqia Boys School started functioning in the premises of Muslim Boys Orphanage.

Institutions under Rifa-hul Muslimeen Edcational Trust
1. Farooqia Dental College
2. Farooqia Institute of Pharmacy and Farooqia College of Pharmacy
3. Farooqia P.U.College
4. Farooqia Girls Composite PU College
5. Farooqia Boys High School
6. Farooqia Girls High School
7. Farooqia Girls High School II
8. Farooqia D. Ed., College
9. Farooqia Womens Polytechnic
10. Farooqia Model Urdu Higher Primary School
11. Farooqia Nursery School
12. Dr.TMA Pai UHPS
13. Farooqia Nursery School

Later, the Rifa-hul Muslimeen Education Society was registered under the Societies Act in the year 1970. Farooqia Boys’ High School came under Rifa-hul Muslimeen Educational Society, which was later converted into Rifa-hul Muslimeen Educational Trust in the year 1985 for effective management.
The philosophy of the founders was to propagate education in the community. The mission was to bring back the community to the fold of education. It wanted to see that they must put a stop to the fall- ing graph of education in the community and wanted to see every Muslim boy and girl educated. The vision was to establish a chain of educational institutions ranging from nursery classes to professional courses.
Today, the Rifahul Muslimeen Educational Trust employs about 500 staff members including teaching staff and nonteaching staff. The total strength in the thirteen institutions it manages is about 5,000 students, with girls forming around 40 per cent of this number. BDS, MDS, Pharma D and B Pharma are the most sought after courses here. The organisation is also set to start a Girls P U College for Commerce from 2015. The student intake is showing positive signs and in B.Pharm, the intake has increased from 40 to 60 this year after it received the necessary approvals from the controlling agencies.
The society also provides various incentives to poor and deserving girls students. This, in many ways, has helped it gain the trust and support of the community and the society at large.

Seven friends since school who were equally appalled by the state of abject poverty and lack of educational facilities around them set up an organisation called MESCO, recollects Dr M A Khatkhatay, General Secretary and a founder member. Over four and a half decades later, they continue to inspire and assist the cause of education. Excerpts from an interview

What was the inspiration behind setting up MESCO?

The founders, most of whom were friends in school, kept in touch with each other over the years. They met at each other’s houses during Ramzan. At one such meeting, the idea was floated that if they could be engaged in some activity to help poor students, they could probably combine their individual efforts in a more organised way. It was this thought that led to the establishment of the society, Modern Educational Social and Cultural Education (MESCO). All of the founders were pursuing different professions, they all hailed from middle class families, were equally appalled by poverty and together decided to establish schools, colleges, technical institutions, hostels and other institutions. Their aim was to provide high quality education on a non-commercial basis and impart value-based education to all sections of the community.

What was the situation before your institution came into being?

The founders initially tried to raise funds and started off by giving out school text books on loan and also subsidising the cost of notebooks for the less fortunate around. They started raising funds through ingenious ways by collecting old newspapers, selling icecream and Eid cards apart from collecting donations and membership fees. Soon, it was changed into a comprehensive Educational Adoption Scheme (EAS). How ever, when this failed to give enough opportunity to children to be developed holistically, the founders launched MES- CO Education Society in 1977 with the objective of setting up educational institutions beginning with a school. The Crescent English High School in Thane was initiated in 1993. Secondly, in the selected area of Kausa near Mumbra in Thane, there was not a single good quality educational institution. MESCO currently runs the Crescent English High School at Kausa, vocational train- ing centres at Dharavi and Kausa and a chain of English medium nursery schools in the Mumbai slums.

What are the problems faced by minority educational institutions?

Many administrators lack vision and professional approach. Also, many of them do not have a consistent long-term strategy and HR policy while improper infrastructure and financial instability also affect their popularity. Also, most minority institutions do not have a clear road map to make themselves self-sufficient.

What were the challenges for management?

Attracting and retaining good staff, including the head of the institution, and complying with all legal requirements for establishing a school is always a challenge. Also, developing self-sufficiency for the institution and keeping it that way is an additional challenge, especially when the target group we cater to comes from an economically and socially backward background.

What are your expectations from the new government?

We feel that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should continue supporting minority education. The Sachar Committee report has implicitly revealed that minorities are the worst off in terms of educational attainments. Even the SC and ST communities fare better in this regard. I believe the time has come to give a concerted and multi-faceted impetus to the minorities particularly Muslim minorities which are the largest in this group, to bring them at par, if not ahead, of the status of the SC and ST communities. Skill development is one particular area which requires serious attention because it can help a vast number of students who do not pursue education beyond high school. Youngsters from the minority communities who are into handicraft (cottage industries) and artisans down several generations should also be targeted.

What are your suggestions to improve the education status of minorities?

The government should publicise various welfare schemes. More importantly, all welfare schemes of the central government should be time-bound. This entails a process where any application of grant-in-aid should be sanctioned or rejected within 6 months after the date of submission. Funds sanctioned under central schemes should be directly transferred to the NGO’s accounts, like the scheme of cash in lieu of subsidy through Aadhar card.