UP plans educational hubs to counter Centre’s scheme for minorities

To counter it,the Akhilesh Yadav government has planned educational hub scheme,which will be more useful for the minorities. Unlike the MSDP,which is confined to rural areas,the education hubs will cover both urban and rural areas. An educational hub will be like a mini-university campus in every district. It will include separate intermediate colleges for boys and girls,besides a polytechnic,an ITI,a paramedical institute,a management institute and other centres running job-oriented courses. The state’s Minority Welfare Department will fund the scheme for initial five years,and later the institutes will be handed over to the concerned department.

In the budget for 2013-14,an initial allocation of Rs 34 crore has been made for the scheme. “It is a token amount so that the account head for the scheme is opened. Further allottment will be done as per requirement,” said Abrar Ahmad,Director of Minority Welfare.

Every student studying in an inter-college at the educational hub will be given scholarship,irrespective of caste or religion. Seats will be reserved for these students in the professional institutes set up as part of the educational hub. Students from other private minority institutes in the district will also be given admission. Some seats will be reserved for madrasah pass-outs. Mostly job-oriented courses will be run at these centres so that later the students get proper placement.

“Under the MSDP scheme,only the building of an institute is constructed. There is no policy for admission of minority students from the area. In the educational hub,it will be ensured that they get admission,” said an official of the Minority Welfare Department. The department has been asked to make the scheme attractive for the minorities. “We need to develop more motivating factors so that minority students enroll themselves. If we provide education linkages with job,they will be coming to study,” he added.