At schools for minorities, minority students outnumbered

New Delhi: Only 9.23 per cent of minority children under the age group of 5-14 years were enrolled at 168 minority schools across the National Capital, according to a recent report by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which added that of the total over 2.25 lakh students at these schools, 26.22 per cent were from minority communities whereas 73.78 per cent were non-minority.

The report was based on data analysis of 23,487 minority schools across India including Delhi, consultation, workshops, document analysis and formal and informal group discussions, which was carried out by the child rights body.

According to the report, all 168 schools in Delhi were recognised by the Delhi government. "About 163 were affiliated to boards like CBSE, ICSE or State whereas five were without affiliation," the report said.

About 91.67 per cent of schools were given Minority Status Certificate (MSC) by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI).

According to the report, in Delhi, the population of minority children in the school-going age group (that is 5 to 14 years) is 6,41,483, while the enrollment of minority students in minority schools is 59,208. "Thus, it can be assumed that the minority schools are catering to only 9.23 per cent of the minority children population while the rest of the children of this age group are either students at non-minority schools or out-of-school children," the report concluded.

The NCPCR added, "Muslim community comprises 70.49 per cent of the minority population in Delhi but comprises only 8.33 per cent of the minority schools. 94.50 per cent of the students in minority schools established by the Jain community belong to the non-minority community."

According to one official, only 4.29 per cent of disadvantaged minority students were enrolled at these schools. "Disadvantaged students belong to the respective minority community but have not been given clear economic or social criteria, leaving it to the minority school to report the enrollment as per their policies," the report read.

The Commission further added, in the absence of clear guidelines to schools regarding admission, retention and enrollment provisions of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, schools have set arbitrary provisions. "These benefits range from minority scholarships, fee waivers, freeships on books and or uniforms. However, since this data has not been externally validated, it is difficult to assess the nature of the benefits," the NCPCR said.

"There is a need to lay down specific guidelines regarding the minimum percentage of students from the minority community to be admitted to the institution," said NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo.

Recommending mapping of all unrecognised institutions to identify out-of-school children, the NCPCR said there are a large number of children attending schools, institutions that are not recognised.