‘Minority’ varsities in secular IndiaIJ Not right
It is good that the Union Government appears to have discarded, at least for the time being, its plans of setting up ‘minority institutions', following the recommendations of a ministerial panel. The regime is now reportedly promoting the establishment of six central universities that will focus on minority communities and will be located in areas where the latter are in a majority. Welcome as this is, there is, however, still no guarantee that the Congress-led regime at the Centre will stop trying to sneak in the minority tag upon these new institutions through the backdoor. Especially given that this scam-tainted Government will be battling a strong anti-incumbency sentiment in the next lok Sabha election which is round the corner, there is a possibility that the ruling party will use this issue to win over minority votes. Of course, it is highly unlikely that the party will actually succeed in its mission — the Congress will find it difficult to put together the numbers that are needed for a parliamentary approval. Still, it is imperative that right-minded political parties remain on alert and ensure that the Centre abandons its quest for minority institutions.
The ministerial panel which was set up by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs to study the proposal for establishing minority universities, has already made clear that educational institutions established by Parliament will not pass the constitutional test if they are identified as a minority institution. led by Mr Sukhdeo Thorat, who previously headed the University Grants Commission which oversees university education in India, the committee in its recently released report has said in no uncertain terms that “India being a secular State, it cannot differentiate between majority and minority”. Instead, it suggests the establishment of central universities which can give weightage to minority students. For instance, Jawaharlal Nehru University gives preference to women candidates and students from backward districts of the country by awarding extra marks in entrance tests .
At the crux of the debate on minority institution lies Article 30(1) of the Constitution, which states that religious and linguistic minorities have the right to “establish and administer educational institutions of their choice”. This, the Minority Affairs Ministry had interpreted back in 2007 as a valid ground for the Government to set up minority institutions. But the idea was dismissed even at that time by the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development, which said that while Parliament can incorporate an existing institution as a minority institution or confer minority status on one set up by such communities — as in the case of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia — it cannot establish an institution exclusively for minorities with tax-payers’ money. However, even that status accorded to Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia is being currently contested in the courts, including the Supreme Court. If the Government really wants the minority communities to benefit without engaging in avoidable legal hassles, it should just focus on setting up centres of academic excellence that will work for all students, but where minority communities are given some sort of preference.