ANDALIB AKHTER
Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) has been restuctured to bring ‘functional efficiency’ and ‘infused fresh air’ in the prime institution meant for minorities welfare.
According to sources, now, MAEF will empower educationally backward minority communities to gain access and to achieve higher level of education, employable skills leading to sustainable and dignified livelihoods.It will be equipped with the government and professional experts and human resource with sufficient experience in the field of administration, academics and finance.
The restructured MAEF will adopt multi-sectoral approach for addressing critical areas for educational processes, and work to enhance scope of engagement to field interventions, promote strategic partnerships and innovations, address educational challenges of different age groups and create an observatory for engaging into continuous research, documentation and advocacy.
Chaired by Dr. Najma Heptulla,the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, the General Body of Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) which approved restructuring however maintained that there will be no change in the structure of the basic objectives of the institution.
“There will be no change in the structure of the basic objectives of the Maulana Azad Education Foundation” said Dr. Heptulla
The MAEF was established in 1989 as an autonomous institution but could not contribute effectively to its mandate due to administrative, financial and human resource deficiencies.When Ministry of Minority Affairs was constituted in 2006, MAEF was brought under it as an autonomous body.
Therefore, Ministry of Minority Affairs in the Narendra Modi led Government looked into its functioning and commissioned a study to Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) early this year to give a report on restructuring of MAEF in to a professionally relevant think tank for promotion of education among minority communities. TISS submitted the report to the Ministry on 9th July, 2015.