NCERT for opening more schools for minorities

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has recommended for opening more schools for the children belonging to minority communities to address the issues of “discrimination and harassment” faced by them.

It has also recommended for “sensitization of all school teachers” to the issues of cultural and religious diversity, “especially in relation to religious minorities” and “due representation of minorities culture” in the schools curricular and pedagogical processes.

The council's recommendations have come in a manual developed by it for the school management committees to make school education “inclusive” for every children in the country.

Apart from “some general issues of discrimination and harassment” faced by the children of minority communities, these children go through some other modes of discrimination “like a different school and classroom environment, cultural and religious domination,” the council noted in the manual.

“Children of minorities at times find the prayers in the school assemblies and picture of Gods and Goddesses on the walls alien to them as unfriendly environment. Sometimes comments on food habits are found to be offensive by one or the other community. Some of the community members may find different uniform as undesirable,” it also noted.

Though the council recognized in its manual the various modes of discrimination and harassment faced by the minority students in schools, it did not elaborate on it further or referred to specific incidents of the minority children going through such ordeals.

“Open schools in minority concentrated neighbourhoods,” the council suggested.

It also recommended for providing Urdu medium schools in Muslim concentrated “neighbourhoods where Urdu is likely to be mother tongue.”

“Ensure option of learning Urdu as a second language and availability of Urdu teacher in such schools,” it added.

The NCERT's manual is though meant for the school management committee, it's recommendations are open for the consideration of the government and policy makers, both at the Central and State level, to promote "inclusive education” environment in the country's schools.

The council has suggested for organising celebration of various festivals related to the religious minorities in the country's schools.

It also calls for “sensitive handling of the children during religious days” and adequate representation of minority parents in the school management committees.