Hyderabad: Dr Amir Ullah Khan, senior policy adviser to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said the common perception that Muslim girls are behind in literacy and health fronts, is not true. The fact is that the enrolment of Indian Muslim girls at the primary education level is higher than the national average.
Dr Khan was speaking during the distribution of financial assistance of the Foundation for Economic and Educational Development (FEED) on Sunday. He said that according to fresh data, 90 per cent of Muslim girls are enrolled at primary-level while the national average of all communities is 80 per cent. However, the ratio of Muslim girls compared to boys falls drastically in higher education and only four per cent of Muslim girls reach graduation level. The main reason for this, he said, is the early age of marriage in the community. It is a matter of concern that more than 40 per cent of marriages of Muslim girls are performed illegally. In India the average marriage age of girls is 19 years.
Dr Khan said the main problem is that though girls are getting education, the quality of the education they get is poor. Most eighth standard students are not able to read the textbooks meant for the third standard. They can’t solve double-digit sums or write a complete sentence in any language. Improving the quality of education is of prime importance, he said.
When it comes to health, Muslim girls are better off than girls belonging to other communities. This may be because they wash their hands five times a day as part of their religious practice, Dr Khan said.
Ghiasuddin Babu Khan, chairman of the Hyderabad Zakat & Charitable Trust, said their organisations are supporting 106 Urdu and three English medium schools where 25,000 students are getting education. Children from other communities too can study in these schools, he added.
Chairman of FEED, Abdul Aleem Khan, said the organisation has spent Rs 114.06 crore in the last 26 years on different charitable activities and today 340 orphan students selected by ICNA Relief, Canada, will be paid financial assistance of Rs 7,500 per student as the second and final instalment. Tasneem Osmani, director, Educate India Fund (USA) and Ziauddin Nayyar, a trustee of FEED, also spoke.
