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University team visited AMU Special Centre site at Malapuram in Kerala

Thursday, October 01, 2009 03:58:22 PM, ummid.com Staff Reporter

Aligarh: A five member team headed by Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor, Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis has visited the site at Perinthelmanna in Malapuram district proposed by the Government of Kerala for setting up of the AMU special centre. The Government of India has already allocated an initial amount of Rs. 25 crore in the current fiscal year.

"In order to extricate the minorities from the quagmire of ignorance and set them on the path of intellectual resurgence at national level the AMU has conceived an ambitious plan of establishing five special campuses in different locations of the country including one in the Mallapuram district of Kerala", Dr. Rahat Abrar has quoted Vice Chancellor Prof. Azis as saying.

AMU VC Prof Azis said this while inspecting the site.

Prof. Azis lauded the initiatives taken by the Government of Kerala in providing the necessary facilities including the land for setting up the special Centre of Aligarh Muslim University at Malappuram and for starting the process of land acquisition on a fast track basis, added Dr. Abrar.

Tracing the genesis Prof. Azis said that AMU has taken this historic decision to regain its national stature and provide leadership to minority education in the country. The Executive Council in its meeting held on January 7, 2008 and the Court in its meeting held on December 2, 2007 has decided to establish five regional centres of AMU in the backward areas populated by minorities. The sites proposed were Murshidabad in West Bengal, Malappuram in Kerala, Katihar in Bihar, Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Pune in Maharashtra. These distant centres were already approved by the Central Government and it will enable the University to fulfill the responsibilities mandated by the AMU Act 1981.

Further, Aligarh Muslim University had received representations from the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Chief Secretary of Government of Kerala and the Gharib Nawaz Foundation for Education of Muslims of Bhopal suggesting to establish Regional Study Centre of Aligarh Muslim University in their respective regions. The backdrop of the alarming revelations of the shocking state of educational backwardness of minority community by Sachar Committee is another factor that paved way for the decision.

Expressing confidence in setting up a special AMU Centre at Malappuram after the transfer of land to the AMU very soon the Vice Chancellor declared that the Aligarh model consisting of schools, faculties, Medical and Engineering Colleges and Departments of Advanced Studies will be established in Malappuram so that the students can get an opportunity of wholesome education right from primary to post graduate including in Professional disciplines.

Admission tests conducted

Meanwhile, the University has successfully conducted its admission tests for the MBBS, BDS, B. Tech./B. Arch., Class XI and Diploma in engineering courses at five centers outside Aligarh including one at Farook College, Kozikode. Both these initiatives were extremely significant as they are designed to provide greater access and equity to the students of different parts of the country. In itself it is carrying the legacy of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan by spreading the Aligarh Movement across the country for the educational uplift of the people of India, especially the deprived Muslim population spread across the country, Prof. Azis observed.

The proposals were, in fact, the need of the hour and something that should have been done earlier. The West Bengal, the Kerala and the Central Government’s efforts to promote education among Muslim community and to bring them into the national mainstream by expanding the benefit of education to Muslims also provided focus on the issue and helped us formulate the policy to widen the AMU’s campus network by establishing regional centres of advanced study and research. The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India endorsed the above proposals and consented to extend necessary help to the University. In the current financial year budget the Central Government has already allocated an initial amount of Rs. 25 crore each for Malappuram and Murshidabad special centres. The West Bengal Government has already set in motion the transfer of 350 acres of Farakka Barrage land to the AMU. A five-member high power AMU team headed by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. P.K. Abdul Azis has visited Murshidabad and Kolkata on the invitation of the West Bengal government and inspected the proposed land and discussed various issues.

Similarly, the Kerala Government has already held wide ranging consultations in the highly focused meeting held in the first week of August at Thrivananthapuram presided over by Minister for Education Mr. M.A. Baby and also Minister for Culture and other State officials attended by AMU Vice Chancellor Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis. It decided to put the issue of Malapuram AMU Centre on “Fast Track.”

While discussing the main issues during the Malapuram site visit with the State Officials Prof. P.K. Azis stressed the need for constructing a 100 feet–wide access road and a specific time-frame for handing over the acquired land in two phases.  The District Collector, Mr. M.C Mohan Dass and the Deputy Collector, Land Acquisition Mr. Gopalakrishna, E.K has confirmed that the Kerala Government will provide 150 acres of acquired land by the end of October this year on fast track basis and rest of the 242 acres by the end of the year. The Officials of Electricity Department present in the meeting assured the Supply of 5 to 10 MW of uninterrupted power supply to the new campus to be established in the picturesque backdrop of the Perinthelmanna.

Prof. P.K. Abdul Azis has also held detailed discussions with Thrissur MLA Mr. V Sasikumar, State Level Officer Smt. Lalithambika. S, District Collector Mr. M.C. Mohandas, Special Officer Dr. Vijaykumar, Additional Director Mr. Y.V. Srikumar and other district officers. Advocate V.K. Biran and Mr. P.A. Hamza both members of the AMU court.

A.M.U Visiting team who participated in the discussions includes Prof. Ikram Husain, Prof. Parvez Mujtajab, Prof. Javed Akhter and Prof. N.A.K Durrani.

The Vice Chancellor Prof. P.K Abdul Azis while interacting with the local people of the Perinthalmanna said that the proposal of setting up of special campuses including one in Malappuram district is a powerful projection of an ambitious plan to expand the AMU’s academic and research programmes to meet the challenging needs of the marginalized and excluded social class. It is indeed gratifying that the Government of Kerala has initiated all necessary steps to provide the required land for setting up special AMU Centre at Malappuram. The people of Kerala in general and Muslims of the state in particular have extended a warm welcome to AMU. Already a host of discerning organizations have expressed happiness and considers it a new beginning in the annals of education of extremely backward Muslims of Malappuram and the surrounding regions.

To start such a Centre is all the more necessary in view of the increasing pressure on the existing AMU Campus that cannot sustain the increased demand for admissions sought every year. The present campus and resources (hostel facility, teaching rooms, space and staff etc.) of the University are limited and cannot be expanded beyond a certain point, but the pressure is increasing and one cannot escape the need of providing educational facilities to the most excluded community.

The special centre of AMU at Malappuram will make education available to poor and downtrodden Muslims who are educationally most backward.

The AMU has envisaged a national role to play by promoting modern and secular education. It strives to meet the educational aspirations of the people especially of Muslims of India. Aligarh has played a historic role by spreading the message of modern education, scientific temperament and secularism in the sub-continent and in this backdrop, the Parliament has passed the AMU Act 1981 that empowers the University to promote the educational and cultural advancement of Muslims of India. The University has a glorious tradition of broadmindedness, tolerance and enlightened approach to problems that beset the contemporary social existence. AMU has successfully kept at bay all kinds of communal, narrow, parochial and fissiparous forces. The obsessive apprehension expressed by a section of the media is unwarranted. The University has never allowed any unlawful engagement in its sprawling campus. It has a record of maintaining discipline of highest order and Malappuram Centre will not be an exception as far as propriety and discipline is concerned.

Historically and culturally Indian Muslims seek guidance and inspiration from AMU and expect that it fulfills their educational needs and requirements, under such circumstances it is expected that the University also wakes up for meeting out their aspirations. The Malappuram Centre will be a step in this direction.

The idea behind setting up special Centre at Malappuram is to provide easy access to modern education to the most educationally deprived social class so that the national goal of equity, access and inclusion of the excluded is accomplished. It is indeed a national duty bestowed upon AMU to promote education among the Muslims.

Establishment of special centre, although is in formative stage, the University is receiving extremely positive response from all stake holders including the state government. The University will start all the faculties presently in vogue in AMU including Engineering, Medical, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, IT based programmes, Mass Communication besides Humanities, Science and Life Sciences. It intends to turn the Malappuram region into an innovative, modern and forward looking academic and research hub of global standards, especially catering to the needs of all four southern states.

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