Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's inaugural address at the "Dialogue on Minority Welfare and Education"

"It gives me great pleasure to be amongst you this morning. I am particularly happy to be associated with a conference whose theme links welfare with education, particularly with reference to the problems facing the minority communities in our country. It is almost axiomatic to say that these are interrelated issues, but for those of my generation, the linkage lies in our own personal experience. For instance, I am personally convinced that it was the access afforded to me for a good education that enabled me to transcend the economic and social conditions of my childhood in a rural area in West Punjab.

As my very dear friend Prof. Amartya Sen has often reminded us, education builds capabilities. It empowers. The welfare of millions of people across the world has improved in the 20th Century because of the spread of education. Another distinguished friend of mine, the late Dr. Mahbub ul Haq used to say that "the basic purpose of development is to enlarge people's choices".

And one asks - How do you enlarge choices without enhancing capabilities?

I am convinced that access to education is the most important equalizing social force. If development is not to be merely a matter of numbers and it must not be, if economic growth is to be people-centric, as it must be, that it follows that we need to focus attention on empowerment of our people, particularly through the medium of education. That is why the emphasis on education in the Common Minimum Programme of the United Progressive Alliance. However, it is important to understand that investment in education is not merely a welfare measure. It is also a means of empowerment. This is explicitly recognized by the United Progressive Alliance in the Common Minimum Programme, when it is stated that "Social and economic empowerment of minorities, through more systematic attention to education and employment, will be a priority concern for the United Progressive Alliance."

I would make bold to take that idea further. By empowering and creating capabilities, education in fact increases the productive potential of the society as a whole. It is not at all surprising, therefore, that every modern industrial and newly industrializing economy has a literacy rate upward of 80 per cent.

Education and capacity creation help therefore in augmenting the social and economic capital not only of individuals, society as a whole. Disparities in many countries, across regions and across communities, which are a cause of concern, can at least partially be explained by differing degrees of access to education. Clearly, therefore the level of educational attainment of our people, particularly of minorities is an important and essential determinant of their economic and social status.

I therefore urge this Conference to come forward with creative ideas that can enable us to increase the educational attainment of minorities across the country so that they are truly empowered, socially and economically to become equal in the pathways to progress. I do think we also need to go beyond the question of providing education to examine issues pertaining to employment opportunities. I am distressed by the low representation of minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, in many walks of life, both in the public and the private sector. I do not need to underline to this audience the gravity of the problem that this creates for our collective effort to create a truly inclusive and tolerant society, where the benefits of economic development are shared by all citizens. One issue that needs to be addressed by you is the question of finding effective measures to deal with this important problem. Towards this end, communities have independently adopted several useful initiatives to augment access to education. I commend the initiative of several minority institutions in this regard. We now need to see if we can integrate the Government's existing schemes for the uplift of minority groups with these community-driven measures. I therefore pose to you the question: Can an appropriate public-private partnership emerge in this vital field out of this forum?

The importance of such solutions, which integrate community efforts and governmental initiatives, cannot be over-emphasized. Community-based educational institutions can be effectively used as a means to promote a number of other important social objectives, such as provision of primary health care and family welfare. These institutions can also be used to promote the delivery of better services by the State to segments of the population that otherwise are harder to reach, particularly women and the girl child among the minorities.

On our part, I can assure you of the commitment of the government of the United Progressive Alliance, and our supporting parties in the Left in systematically removing barriers that prevent empowerment of minority communities, as well as among the Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes. In this context, as I have said, the Common Minimum Programme commits us to take specific measures. For example, we propose to establish a Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, to provide direct affiliation of minority professional institutions with central universities to upgrade the standard and quality of education provided in the minority institutions. We will promote modern and technical education among all minority communities. We will also establish a National Commission to enhance the welfare of socially and economically backward sections among religious and linguistic minorities, including through reservations in education and employment. Additional funds will be allocated to the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation to ensure its more effective functioning. We are also committed to the promotion of Urdu, a national language for which I have a personal attachment.

I am aware that the Ministry of Human Resource Development will be implementing a number of schemes to help advance the educational attainment of all minorities. Hon'ble Minister has just outlined some of these measures. This Ministry has passed interim orders in pursuance of the judgment of the Supreme Court on cases regarding institutions run by minority communities. I think it is a matter of particular satisfaction for all of us that this important Ministry is today in very capable and mature hands.

I look forward with keen interest to the deliberations of your Conference and to the specific recommendations you may make. If the future is to be moulded by our youth, they must be guided by the vision of our founding fathers, of a modern, secular and equitable society. Minorities in our country must truly feel that they are equal partners in progress. This is where all of us assembled here today have an important role to play to suggest new pathways to realising this cherished objective. I recognize that it is an onerous responsibility, which must be deliberated upon in full measure. We shall overcome. I wish you every success in the noble endeavour in which you are engaged in this conference."