|
Malegaon: Aligarians – the elite
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) alumni spread across the world,
might have contradicting views on the very concept of establishing
the AMU sub-centres in five states, those in Maharashtra are
extending wholehearted support to the AMU Malgaon and are
appealing to the AMU authorities to take speedy actions so that
the proposed centre becomes a reality.
“It is pleasing to learn that after the consistent efforts and
follow ups of more than two years with the government and the AMU
VC, a team of experts will be soon visiting Malegaon to inspect
the land identified for the proposed centre. All efforts should
now be taken so that the project takes shape without further
delay”, Dr. A. Shaban, Associate Professor at the Centre for
Development Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)
Mumbai, told ummid.com in a telephonic interview.
Continuing further, Dr. Shaban, a member of the AMU Alumni
Association Maharashtra, said, “Malegaon where the Muslim
population is more than 75% industrialised itself a good 150 years
before. Even today 90% of the industrial units are owned by the
Muslims. It is in the centre of Maharashtra and is well connected
with the National highways and is located very close to the
Mumbai-Nasik-Pune development triangle – the fastest developing
region in the state. Yet people here are poorly educated, and the
literacy rate and percentage of higher education is alarmingly
low. Establishment of the AMU centre here will not only boost the
literacy percentage but also play an important role in the
socio-economic development of the entire region”, he added.
Noting that people from other parts of Maharashtra are also
educationally deprived and feel alienated in the state due to
various reasons, Dr Shaban said, “A majority of Muslims in
Maharashtra are those who migrated from North India in 1857 after
facing the brunt of the British Colonial Rule. They are
hardworking and rich in entrepreneur skills. At the same time,
they are very emotional about their religion and culture. Due to
this, they could not merge themselves with the local culture and
traditions. This is perhaps why they had to suffer during the
communal conflicts occurring with regular time intervals”, he
said.
“These sufferings have alienated the Muslims in Maharashtra and
while the state progressed impressively, Muslims far from enjoying
the fruits of this progress are left economically and
educationally deprived. To overcome this, the Muslims of
Maharashtra need an institution which can provide them access to
higher education in an atmosphere which is not alien to them and
is close to their culture. In AMU off-campus centre they see such
an intuition for them”, he said.
“In fact looking at the potential vis-à-vis education and the way
Muslims are spread in the state, AMU should establish two such
centres in Maharashtra”, he added.
Other Aligarians too are excited over the development and are now
eagerly wait for the AMU inspection team so that further action is
taken quickly.
“Maharashtra has a huge potential for the growth in the field of
education. The state despite having a strong line-up of quality
education institutes does not have a central university.
Establishment of the AMU sub centre here will certainly be
instrumental in further boosting the literacy level here”, Dr.
Abdullah – Principal of Mohammadia Tibbia College and an Aligarian
of 1982 batch said.
Echoing similar feelings, Dr. Waseem, an Aligarian of 2000 batch
said, “Though Maharashtra has quite a few reputed colleges and
institutes, quality education is still limited to a privileged
few. AMU sub centre in Maharashtra and especially if it gets
established at a place like Malegaon, will open the door of
opportunities for the under-privileged. In fact it will be a real
tribute to AMU founder Sir Syed Ahmed Khan who established the
University with the same motive.”
Meanwhile, number of students
writing to the AMU Vice Chancellor, Prof Pk Abdul Azis with an
appeal to speed up the process for the establishment of the AMU
centre in Malegaon is increasing day by day. Around 550 postcards
with this appeal were posted last week. An equal number more has
been posted in last two days even as more and more students are
joining the campaign started by Noble Education & Welfare Society
(NEWS) September 18.
|
Comments
|
Quick links