Jamia Milia Islamia Declared A Minority Institution!
In a historic judgment, Delhi's Jamia Milia Islamia has been declared a minority institution by the court. This has enraged several teachers, students, and stakeholders who think that the university will now fall into the hands of fundamentalists and its secular culture will be endangered. Several petitions have been filed to this effect, against the judgment. However, there are others who think that all these suspicions are baseless and not at all fair.
What Does it Mean?
St. Stephen's College in Delhi, the academic institution where Mr. Kapil Sibal - the Education Minister has studied, enjoys the minority status but is still a secular institution. Similarly, the minority status for Jamia does not make it a religious place. It will still teach multi-disciplinary secular subjects it is famous for and will accept students from all communities. The minority status will only mean that it can now reserve 50% of its seats for Muslim students, while 50% seats will still be open for students from other communities.
Origin of Jamia
Jamia Milia Islamia was established in 1920 by Muslim intellectuals as an assertion of their freedom to the British government. It was run by the Jamia Society comprising eminent Muslim leaders of the time. An Act of Parliament in 1988 shocked the Muslim community by suddenly declaring Jamia Milia Islamia as a central university. To Muslims, reinstatement of the minority status of Jamia is an emotional moment for them. It underlines the fact that their rights under Article 30, which allows minorities to set up and run their own institutions, are being safeguarded by Indian Constitution.
NCMEI Says
A three-judge bench of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) noted that Indian Constitution has an overarching principle which states that ‘once a minority institution, always a minority institution.' On 26th January 1950, when Indian Constitution came into being, Jamia was being run by Muslims and enjoyed the privileges of being a minority institution under Article 30 (1). Aligarh Muslim University did not have the status of minority institution then.
How will it help Muslims?
According to the Sachar Committee's Report published in November 2006, Muslims (especially from the Sunni sect) constitute 13.4% of Indian population but only constitute 4% of undergraduate population in India. Minority status of good institutions will mean more seats reserved for minority community the institution represents and hence, speeding up the process of minority enrolment and improving their literacy rate.
While Jamia Milia Islamia serves non-minority students too, its traditions make it an ideal place for serving a specific demographic student population. It can introduce new ideas and thoughts in the community and help students from all communities blend-in together in a better manner.
Source: Ruchi Shrimali (Shiksha Team)
Date: 28th February, 2011
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