More than half of the MPs recommended not a single Muslim child for admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya

1,248 Kendriya Vidyalayas have been established across the country to educate the children of government officials and employees. It is a common belief that education in these schools is better and at a lower cost as compared to other schools. For this reason a large number of people want to enroll their child in a Kendriya Vidyalaya. Due to the demand of the people, the government has fixed the quota of admission of 10 children to all the current elected MPs. Under this, every MP can make a recommendation for admission in the Kendriya Vidyalaya falling in his parliamentary constituency, from class 1 to 9.

Mohammad Alauddin, a resident of Maharajganj parliamentary constituency, 45 km from Siwan district headquarters, says, “I have been going to my MP for the last three years to recommend admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya, but the honorable MP has recommended for my child’s admission. Didn’t.” Mushtaq Ahmed, a resident of Barka village in the same parliamentary constituency, says, “Our MP has not recommended for admission of a single Muslim child in the last two years.”

Most of the Muslim families like Mohammad Alauddin and Mushtaq Ahmed of Maharajganj parliamentary constituency said that MP Janardan Singh Sigriwal has not recommended a single Muslim child for admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya in the last seven years. In defense of this charge, MP Janardan Singh Sigriwal says, “I work above caste religion, but give priority to my workers. I have recommended many Muslim children for admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya.”

The MP claimed that he has enrolled Muslim children from his quota. But according to the data from session 2019 to 2021 available on the website of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, the MP has recommended the admission of 30 children, but none of these recommendations are for any Muslim child.

Social activist Mannan Ahmed says, “Not only the MP of Maharajganj, but also the MPs of three districts – Chhapra, Siwan, Gopalganj have not recommended a single Muslim child for the session 2020-21. Votes are needed but when it comes to participation, they only indulge in nepotism. That’s why Muslim children are being ignored.”

Mannan Ahmed’s claim was confirmed when he studied the list related to admission available on the website of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. Not a single one of the four MPs from three districts had recommended the admission of Muslim children. Let us tell you that many reports have been removed from the website but these documents are available with Newslaundry.

35 out of 40 Bihar MPs did not recommend Muslim children

This disparity in the recommendation for admission of Muslim children in Kendriya Vidyalayas is not limited to the MPs of these four districts of Bihar, but it is one of the recommendations made by all the 40 Lok Sabha MPs of the state from their quota for admission of Muslim children. Asymmetry is visible. According to the list related to admission available on the website of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, these 40 MPs have recommended a total of 400 children for admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya in the session 2021-22. Out of these 400 children, only 11 Muslim children have been admitted from MP quota. Congress MP from Kishanganj Dr. Mohammad Javed has recommended for the admission of 6 Muslim children out of these 11 Muslim children. While out of 16 JDU MPs, only two Lok Sabha MPs, Dinesh Chandra Yadav from Madhepura and Vijay Kumar, MP from Gaya, have recommended the admission of two Muslim children.

Out of 6 MPs of Lok Janshakti Party, only one Khagaria MP Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser has recommended for the admission of 2 Muslim children

At the same time, out of 17 Lok Sabha MPs of Bihar BJP, only West Champaran MP Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal has recommended for a Muslim child. In this way, out of 40 MPs of Bihar, there are 35 MPs who have not recommended for admission of a single Muslim child. In the session 2021-22, the data of admissions from Lok Sabha MP quota across the country was collected, then it was found that 537 MPs enrolled more than five thousand children from their quota in Kendriya Vidyalayas in the session 2021-22, but in these Of these, only 264 admissions were for Muslim children. According to statistics, more than half of the Lok Sabha MPs have not recommended the name of a single Muslim child. Similar is the situation in the Rajya Sabha, where about two and a half thousand children got admission from the quota of 245 MPs, but only 109 of them are Muslims.

Enrollment of only 4 percent Muslim children

An analysis of the data of recommendations made by Lok Sabha MPs for admission in Kendriya Vidyalayas in the last three years shows that only 4 percent of the children recommended for admission are Muslims. The session of admission may have changed, but there has been no change in the admission figures. Significantly, the population of Muslims in India is about 176 million, which is about 14.23 percent of the total population of the country. Not only this, Muslims are the second largest sect in India in terms of population, but Lok Sabha MPs have given them only 4 percent participation in their quota for admission in Kendriya Vidyalayas.

If we look at the annual admission figures available with Newslaundry, in the year 2019, 528 Lok Sabha MPs recommended admission for a total of 5,280 children, out of which only 212 recommendations were for the admission of Muslim children. At the same time, in the year 2020, 532 MPs enrolled a total of 5,330 children, out of which only 216 children were Muslims. In the year 2021, 5,338 children were enrolled from the MP quota by 537 MPs, out of which 264 children who got admission were Muslims. In three years, Lok Sabha members enrolled 15,948 children in Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country, but statistics show that more than half of these MPs did not recommend a single Muslim child for admission.

Muslim society backward in the educational system

The Sachar Committee of 2006 and many subsequent studies have made it clear that the economic and educational condition of Muslim society is worse than that of Dalits. All MPs are also aware of this worrying state of Muslim society. Despite this, MPs have mostly ignored the admission of Muslim children in Kendriya Vidyalayas. It is clear from the admission data that in this neglect, usually the MPs of all the parties are seen to be involved. But when reservation is demanded on the basis of backwardness, then some of these MPs protest saying that reservation should not be given on the basis of ‘dharma’ (worship or sect).

Significantly, in 13 out of 40 Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar, the number of Muslim voters is between 12 and 67 percent. The Lok Sabha constituency with the most Muslim voters in Bihar is Kishanganj, where the number of Muslim voters is 67 percent. In second place is Katihar, where Muslim voters constitute 38 per cent of the population. Similarly, Araria has 32 percent, Purnia 30 percent, Madhubani 24 percent, Darbhanga 22 percent, Sitamarhi 21 percent, West Champaran 21 percent and East Champaran 20 percent Muslim voters, respectively. Siwan, Sheohar Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Supaul, Madhepura, Aurangabad, Patna and Gaya have more than 15 per cent Muslim voters, but Bihar MPs have not enrolled Muslim children in Kendriya Vidyalayas even in terms of vote percentage.

Direct or indirect discrimination of political parties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly repeated the slogan “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas”, but the spirit of this slogan is missing on the ground. Most of the BJP leaders have not recommended the name of any Muslim child. According to admission data, in the last three years (from session 2019 to 2021), BJP Lok Sabha MPs recommended for admission to a total of 9,699 children from their quota in Kendriya Vidyalayas, out of which only 110 Muslim children got the recommendation. The figures make it clear the words and deeds of BJP MPs, “Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikas” is missing in their recommendations.

If we look at the data according to the parties, in the last three years (from session 2019 to 2021), Lok Janshakti Party has recommended 9, Trinamool Congress 74, Samajwadi Party 45 and Bahujan Samaj Party 60 children. . In this case, the worst position is of JDU. According to the data, 16 MPs of Bihar’s ruling party Janata Dal United have enrolled only 4 Muslim children from their quota in Kendriya Vidyalayas in the last three years.

Former JDU MP Ali Anwar Ansari said, “There are many reasons for so few children getting admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya. The first reason is the BJP government at the Center, which has the largest number of MPs. At present, about 301 MPs are from BJP and how BJP thinks towards Muslims, it is well known. The second reason is that Muslim MPs who are in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha show more interest in recommending admission for non-Muslim children. This will become clear after looking at the figures of the last five years. On the other hand, non-Muslim MPs shy away from making recommendations for the admission of Muslim children. When I was an MP, I used to recommend for admission of more than 50 percent Muslim children every year. There is also a reason that despite voting, people of the Muslim community have less access to MPs. The biggest reason is that Muslim society is economically and socially backward. Because of this the number of Muslim children in every educational institution, not only in Kendriya Vidyalaya, is much less in comparison to the population.”

Admissions decreased due to lack of transparency

On this disparity in the admission recommendations in Kendriya Vidyalayas, Professor Apoorvanand says, “Quota has been given to MPs for admission in Kendriya Vidyalayas, so that keeping in mind the poor, weak and marginalized people of their parliamentary constituency, MPs only. Recommend for admission. But after looking at the admission figures in Kendriya Vidyalaya, it does not seem that this has happened. Often this doesn’t even happen. The pattern of admission data clearly shows that BJP clearly discriminates, the rest of the secular parties are no better.

According to him, the biggest reason for this, the MPs have accepted the quota as an expression of their will. If you are close to them, are associated with the party, then only you will recommend for admission. There is no ethical method for this decision, which is also most necessary. In the opinion of Professor Apoorvanand, it should be that which is the most backward society, extend your hand towards it.

He further says, “MP should keep transparency while recommending for admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya, how many people applied, and on what basis they recommended. But there is a severe lack of transparency in most of the MPs of the entire party. In such a situation, the Muslims It is natural for them to be left behind in admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya.”

Significantly, from the 2022 session, the MP quota has been abolished. No explanation was given as to why the quota was abolished. Professor Apoorvanand says that the abolition of quota is not the solution to the problem. He believes that “Abolition of MP quota for admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya will not solve the problem, but every year thousands of children will be deprived of better education. Instead of abolishing MP quota, in the admission process. There is a need to bring transparency.”

Till the preparation of this report, all the data related to MP quota has been removed from the website of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. We have sent some queries to the Deputy Commissioner (Academic) of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan regarding why the data was removed, and why the quota was abolished, but till now no response has come from them. Any response from them will be added to this report.