<p>A government-appointed committee has recommended a quota and relaxation in qualifying marks to Muslims in admissions to public-funded colleges. It also suggested a slew of measures for promotion and preservation of Urdu.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In its report presented to Human Resource Development Minister M M Pallam Raju on Thursday, the panel suggested that "Urdu medium students" should be given a relaxation of five per cent in qualifying marks, but did not quantify the number of seats that it sought to be reserved for them.<br /><br />“This is necessary because they come from educationally, socially and economically extremely backward sections of the society,” the seven-member panel, headed by a senior professor of Islamic studies at Jamia Millia Islamia Akhtarul Wasey, noted.<br /><br />The committee also suggested that the government should take effective measures for promotion of English language among Muslims for their “capacity building”. It recommended that need-based courses in English be introduced for minority students in the age group of 13-19 years. Separate courses should be designed for Muslim women. It sought the government to make Urdu “compulsory” for administrative and semi-academic staff in “every institution” meant for education, teaching, promotion and propagation of Urdu. <br /><br />The panel also made a strong pitch for making Urdu a national language, maintaining that it “qualified” for such a recognition as it was spoken by a “considerable” number of people.</p>
<p>A government-appointed committee has recommended a quota and relaxation in qualifying marks to Muslims in admissions to public-funded colleges. It also suggested a slew of measures for promotion and preservation of Urdu.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In its report presented to Human Resource Development Minister M M Pallam Raju on Thursday, the panel suggested that "Urdu medium students" should be given a relaxation of five per cent in qualifying marks, but did not quantify the number of seats that it sought to be reserved for them.<br /><br />“This is necessary because they come from educationally, socially and economically extremely backward sections of the society,” the seven-member panel, headed by a senior professor of Islamic studies at Jamia Millia Islamia Akhtarul Wasey, noted.<br /><br />The committee also suggested that the government should take effective measures for promotion of English language among Muslims for their “capacity building”. It recommended that need-based courses in English be introduced for minority students in the age group of 13-19 years. Separate courses should be designed for Muslim women. It sought the government to make Urdu “compulsory” for administrative and semi-academic staff in “every institution” meant for education, teaching, promotion and propagation of Urdu. <br /><br />The panel also made a strong pitch for making Urdu a national language, maintaining that it “qualified” for such a recognition as it was spoken by a “considerable” number of people.</p>
