Urdu school results in India show improvement

The results of Urdu medium schools for the session 2006-2007 have been encouraging. Compared to past years, the pass percentage has been up in almost all the states.

In Maharashtra, the pass percentage has been 79% for High School (Xth) and 91% for Intermediate (XII). In Bihar it has been 55% and 56% respectively. In West Bengal the percentage of students appearing through Urdu medium who passed has been 50% and 59% for High School and Intermediate respectively.

In Rajasthan, it has been 41% and 50%, Madhya Pradesh 30% and 48%, Delhi 52% and 67%, Andhra Pradesh 45% and 65%, Punjab 42% and 50%. The figures for Karnataka that also has large number of Urdu schools is not available yet. Still, the figure is much better.

Uttar Pradesh, the state with highest Urdu speaking populace doesn't have a single Urdu medium school (compared to a small district like Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh that has 55 schools).

The problems facing Urdu medium students is delay in getting text books, which is annual feature, lack of school/college of Urdu medium after they pass out of schools that have classes only up till 5th, 8th, Xth or XIIth. Also, lack of trained teachers and career counselling are the major impediments in their way.

On the left is photograph of a school where classes are held under tents. Even in Delhi, most schools have dilapidated buildings, roofs that can fall any day. There is no dearth of funds for minorities and neither any lack of schemes for education but absolute lack of apathy amongst common Muslim towards education, makes it difficult for student of Urdu medium schools to compete with students of English and other medium.