NGO offers to pay for Muslims in IITs

In an attempt to address the low enrolment of Muslims in premier organisations such as the Indian Institutes of Technology, young Muslim professionals have launched a plan to fund the fees of members of the community who get into IIT. The “IIT Scholarship Fund” has been launched by the Association of Muslim Professionals, a pan Indian body. It will fund the fees of any Muslim in India who clears the IIT Joint Entrance Exam. While the community makes up 14.88% of the country’s population, Muslim representation in IITs is 1.3%. Various community organisations have taken steps to train Muslim youngsters to help crack the tough entrance exam. But there are few scholarships from within the community to help those who have the potential.