Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Saturday, February 17, announced that the minority educational institutions in the state will receive lifetime recognition from the government, fulfilling a longstanding request from these institutions.
A government order issued on February 2 noted that minority educational institutions will receive permanent minority status certificates without any time limitations.
To simplify the process, the minorities welfare minister launched a user-friendly web portal through the TN e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) for issuing minority status certificates to these educational institutions.
In addition to granting lifetime recognition, the government will extend existing age limits for teacher appointments in minority educational institutions. The maximum age for teacher appointments, currently 53 for the general category and 58 for other communities in government schools, will also apply to minority educational institutions.
The government will also provide recognition from universities to teachers hired by minority colleges following the University Grants Commission and government regulations.
Furthermore, the chief minister announced the expansion of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme to include students from classes 1 to 5 in government-aided minority schools in rural areas.
Mulls reservation for converts
The chief minister recalled that following his announcement in the Assembly that the government would look into granting reservations to members of the most backward classes who had converted to Islam, co-operative banks would offer students from those communities educational loans up to Rs 5 lakh.
Additionally, the government will allow the Waqf Board to lease its lands for 30 years to promote educational, medical, and social causes. A tribunal will also be established in Madurai, similar to the one in Chennai, to handle cases related to Wakf Board properties.
Seeks resumption of minority scholarship
Lastly, the chief minister addressed the discontinuation of pre-Matric scholarships for minority students by writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, proposing to resume the scheme through the Waqf Board. As Muslim students, we are facing difficulties due to the termination of the scholarship. The implementation of this initiative is expected to benefit 1,26,256 students who were facing financial difficulties.
| 
