Telangana achieved yet another major goal

In just three years after formation, Telangana achieved yet another major goal by bringing down sharply the percentage of school dropouts among Muslim girls, and now stands second in the country with only Kerala ahead of it.

The two Southern States now top the list where the annual dropout rate of Muslim girls at the elementary level is less than one per cent.As per the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) database of the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, which functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Telangana had recorded an annual dropout average of 1.44 per cent in 2014-15.

This has come down to 0.50 per cent during 2016-17. Kerala, which recorded 1.68 per cent dropout in 2014-15, has now reined in the practice completely and achieved a zero dropout rate in 2016-17.The report, tabled in the Lok Sabha during the last parliament session, says States such as Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Sikkim, have improved education facilities and infrastructure, with Kerala and Telangana accomplishing an outstanding achievement by reducing the dropout level.

Ironically, States such as Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur, which have very low Muslim population, have recorded the highest dropout rates at 36.99, 18.29 and 18.28 per cent respectively.States such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where Muslims are a sizeable population, need to work hard to stop Muslim girls from dropping out at the school level, the report suggested.

For Telangana, meanwhile, this is another feather in the cap. The State had registered a high rate of enrolment of Muslim students in higher education, according to last year’s all India survey report of the HRD Ministry. The rate of enrolment of Muslim students in higher education in Telangana was 8.11 percent, while the national average was just 4.87 percent.“The State government has improved infrastructure and established new schools for girls and at the same time, there is a growing awareness in the Muslim community towards education, particularly for the girls. This is main reason that enrolment is increasing and dropout rate is falling”, says Ayesha Rubina, Ahmed Nager Corporator & Director, Owaisi School of Excellence.

“Muslim girls are far ahead in elementary and higher education compared to Muslim boys in Hyderabad. In Telangana, we have seen in the last one decade that Muslim girls are doing better in professional courses. The education standards of Muslim girls in Telangana has increased, which is a good sign for the community”, says Professor Sulaiman Siddiqui, former V-C, Osmania University.