Despite tall claims of the UPA government in addressing the concerns of minority communities such as Muslims, the enrolment rate of children from these communities at the primary level is abysmally low. It’s only 9.39 per cent.

These figures were disclosed in the “Flash Statistics: Elementary Education in India,” which was aimed at reviewing progress of school education in the country.  The statistics prepared by the National University of Educational Planning and Administration were released here on Tuesday and the figures on Muslim enrolment were included for the first time in such a study, HRD Ministry officials said. Though the apparent survival rate of Muslim students at Grade V has improved over the last couple of years — from 67.15 per cent in 2004-05 to 72.73 per cent in 2006-07, state-wise variations are a matter of concern.

While Kerala has a survival rate of 115.40, for Bihar and UP the figures are 54 and 68 per cent respectively. For Karnataka, however, the apparent survival rate of Muslim children at Grade V has dipped marginally— from 98.22 to 2004-05 to 95.61 per cent. Faced by opposition from a section of the Muslim community on the modernising of the madrassa education and setting up of a Central Madrassa Board the HRD Ministry has also decided to financially support teaching of regular subjects like mathematics and science.