Model Schools and 378 more Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas to be started for Minorities

To enhance the participation of minorities in Education as well as to overcome socio-economy deficiency by empowering them through educational empowerment, skill development for employability etc, the central government during the twelfth five year plan period will setup 270 Model Schools, approved for Minority Concentrated Blocks.

In addition, the Center will also establish 378 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) for the minority blocks, out which 197 JNVs will be built in Special Category Districts including Minority Concentrated Districts, as informed by Union HRD Minister, Dr Pallam Raju.

In the past, the government set up around 600 JNVs in all over the country but not in Tamil Nadu.

Urdu is one of the main teaching languages for class VI to VIII in some JNVs, whereas, in other schools Urdu is taught as the third language.

Education schemes for Muslim women is also on the cards by launching and progressing a skill development programme, ‘Hunar’ fore country’s muslim girls, the state government of Bihar and Delhi  even started the programme with the help of NGO.

Raju said, to assess the impact of government initiatives and to monitor educational participation by minorities in higher education schemes developed for them such as Model Degree Colleges, Polytechnics, Women hostels, Scholarships and skill development programmes etc. the centre has also established Aligarh Muslim University Centres in Mallapuram in Kerala, Murshidabad in West Bengal and Kishanganj in Bihar.

A latest Centrally Sponsored Scheme called the Rastriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is also working on improving access, equity and quality in the State Higher Education system for which Rs. 22,855 crores budget has been reserved for, in the 12th Plan Period.