Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday, November 5, distributed Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination fee assistance to 1,700 students of government Urdu-medium schools under the sponsorship of Majlis Charities Educational and Relief Trust.

Earlier, 12,000 educational kits comprising school bags, long books and guide sets were distributed among Class 6 to 9 students in September, followed by ‘all-in-one study material’ for nearly 8,000 Class 10 students across Telangana in October.

This year, approximately Rs 86 lakh is being spent on educational assistance. Over the last 21 years, the Trust has spent nearly Rs 10.50 crore towards educational kits, SSC examination fees, cash awards for SSC toppers and study materials for underprivileged students, a release from the party stated.

Speaking at the programme, Asaduddin Owaisi said that the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of Muslims at the national level stands at 40 per cent, while Telangana records 36 per cent, which he described as the highest among Indian states.

‘Injustice to students’: Owaisi on withheld scholarships

He criticised the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre for discontinuing Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Merit-cum-Means scholarships for Muslim students over the last four years.

He said the Centre was citing alleged corruption during Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s tenure and the ongoing CBI inquiry as a reason for withholding scholarships.

“By withholding scholarships for the last four years, you are doing injustice to students. The CBI has not asked the government to stop scholarships. I strongly condemn this action of the Union Government,” he said.

Referring to National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data, Owaisi said Muslim dropout rates stood at 8 per cent at the primary level, 6 per cent at the secondary level and 4 per cent in higher education.

He further pointed out that more than 300 villages in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal do not have schools.

He urged school principals and headmasters to counsel students about pursuing higher education, guide them in choosing the appropriate streams for intermediate and further studies, and help them make informed decisions about their academic future.