The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Plea to streamline process of granting minority status to institutions

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 06, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Plea to streamline process of granting minority status to institutions

Staff Reporter

Forum of Minority Institutions and Associations conducted a seminar

CHENNAI : The Forum of Minority Institutions and Associations will press for streamlining procedures governing the process of granting minority status to educational institutions in the State.

Participants at a seminar organised by the Forum in Chennai to discuss `Rights and responsibilities of minority institutions' at Loyola College on Saturday resolved to seek a high-level meeting of Ministers, MLAs and civil servants to evolve a standard procedure, which would ensure that genuine applicants are granted recognition as minority institutions in a reasonable timeframe.

Though some State Governments followed clearly laid-down procedures in this regard, in a few States minority-run institutions faced various hurdles in getting the minority status.

"Some State Governments may be wary of the misuse of minority rights but an imagined abuse of benefits should not be allowed to stand in the way of genuine minority educational institutions getting the rightful status," said P. A. Inamdar, president of the Pune-based Federation of Linguistic and Religious Minorities Educational Institutions.

Mr. Inamdar pointed out that the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, established by a special Central Act in 2004, was empowered with an appellate jurisdiction to hear appeals on applications turned down at the State-level as well as original jurisdiction to decide on minority status of an institution in a State where a mechanism did not exist.

If applications meet prescribed criteria, the cmmission can be expected to grant minority status within two months, said Mr. Inamdar.

Mr. Inamdar urged all minority groups, religious or linguistic, to unitedly press for benefits guaranteed under Article 30 (1) of the Constitution.

The minority groups in the country have moved from "a state of virtually no benefits to some benefits and only relentless campaigning can take them to a situation where they enjoy full benefits."

According to Habibullah Badsha, senior advocate, the Forum, which was formed in 1992 to uphold the various causes of religious and linguistic minorities, has seen its membership grow to around 70 now.

Apart from schools and colleges, a few professional colleges too had joined the fold.

The issues that the Forum expects to take up with the Government shortly include standardising the fluctuating quota and providing students more leeway in choosing the medium of instruction.

B. Akbar Bhasha Khadiri, former judge, Madras High Court, and Fr. Albert Muthumalai, Loyola College Principal, also participated.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu