‘School dropout rate among Muslims lower’

LUCKNOW: National Commission for Minorities (NCM) chairman Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi on Monday said the Modi government’s ‘Beti bachao, beti padhao’ campaign (educate and save the girl child) had succeeded in checking school dropout rate among Muslim girls.

“It is due to the consistent efforts of the Modi government to emphasise on the need for education of girl child that today we have managed to bring the school dropout rate among Muslim girls from 70-72 per cent to 35-40 per cent,” Rizvi told media persons here. He, however, did not specify the source of the data cited by him. Rizvi said the Modi government had shunned the politics of vote bank and appeasement and was working for the all-round development of all the communities.

“We have established 16 degree colleges, 1,992 schools and added 37,000 classrooms and 1,147 hostels in 308 minority dominated districts all over the country in the last four years. The results are beginning to show,” he said.

Rizvi said the central government had taken several initiatives and launched schemes for the educational and economic uplift of the minorities but because of the misinformation campaign of rival political parties there were misconceptions and misgivings over the Modi government’s approach towards the minorities. “The NCM is in direct touch with banks and is monitoring the loan disbursal to minorities to set up their business and start-ups. We have also opened 172 industrial training institutes (ITIs) which are imparting training to minorities ,” he added.