Abdullah Sohail criticises Congress over minority education promises ahead of Education Day
Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader Shaik Abdullah Sohail criticised the Congress government over its unfulfilled minority education promises on Monday, November 9. He said the government had no moral right to celebrate National Education Day while minority students continued to face financial difficulties.
In a statement, Sohail accused the government of neglecting minority education during its nearly three years in office. He questioned its plans to celebrate National Education Day on November 11, the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
He alleged that thousands of minority students were struggling with unpaid scholarships, pending fee reimbursement and inadequate higher education support.
“Maulana Abul Kalam Azad believed that education was the foundation of social and economic progress. The Congress government is celebrating his birth anniversary but has failed to honour that vision. Instead of organising functions and delivering speeches, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy should explain why his government has neglected minority education,” he said.
Congress questioned over minority education promises
Sohail said Congress had failed to implement several minority education promises included in its Minority Declaration before the 2023 Assembly elections. He particularly cited the Abdul Kalam Taufa-e-Taleem scheme, which promised direct financial assistance to minority students at different educational stages.
Under the proposed scheme, Congress had promised Rs 10,000 to students completing Class 10 and Rs 15,000 at the Intermediate level. It had also announced Rs 25,000 for graduation and Rs 1 lakh for postgraduate education. Furthermore, the declaration promised Rs 5 lakh for students pursuing M.Phil and PhD programmes.
“These were written commitments made to minority families. Nearly three years have passed, but the government has neither launched the scheme nor announced when students will receive the promised assistance. How can Congress celebrate Education Day when it has not implemented a scheme named after Moulana Azad?” he asked.
Pending scholarships and overseas education funds questioned
The BRS leader accused the government of failing to release scholarships and clear fee reimbursement dues. “Scholarships are not charity. They are essential financial support that enables economically weaker students to continue their education. Delaying these payments places their academic future at risk,” he said.
Sohail also questioned the government’s expenditure under the overseas scholarship programme. According to figures he cited, the programme had a budget of Rs 130 crore, against which approximately Rs 76 crore had been released. However, he claimed actual expenditure stood at only Rs 1.30 crore.
He further said pending bills and cheques had reportedly exceeded Rs 164 crore. Comparing the present government’s performance with the previous BRS administration, Sohail cited overseas scholarship assistance provided during the earlier government’s tenure.
He said the BRS government had supported 2,498 minority students through overseas scholarships worth Rs 395.87 crore. Moreover, he accused Congress of weakening a programme that had enabled students from economically modest backgrounds to pursue education abroad.
Minority education promises and declining residential school enrolment
Sohail raised concerns about declining student enrolment in minority residential educational institutions. He said the previous BRS government had established an extensive residential education network that provided educational opportunities to more than 1.25 lakh students.
However, he claimed enrolment had fallen to approximately 85,000 students under the Congress government. “The Congress government should explain why enrolment has declined and what steps it has taken to improve infrastructure, teaching standards and student facilities,” he said.
The BRS leader also questioned the government’s failure to conduct the promised Special DSC recruitment drive for Urdu-medium teachers. He alleged that unfilled teaching and administrative posts had affected educational standards and limited academic support for students.
Additionally, Sohail accused Congress of failing to fulfil its commitment to allocate Rs 4,000 crore annually for minority welfare. He said the unfulfilled allocation and other pending commitments reflected a wider gap between the government’s election promises and their implementation.
Sohail demands white paper on minority education
Sohail demanded immediate action on the minority education promises made by Congress before the 2023 Assembly elections. He urged the government to announce the implementation of the Abdul Kalam Taufa-e-Taleem scheme on National Education Day.
He also demanded clearance of pending scholarships and fee reimbursement dues, release of overseas scholarship funds and recruitment against vacant posts.
“Maulana Azad’s birth anniversary should be an occasion to strengthen educational opportunities, not merely conduct ceremonial programmes. If the Congress government genuinely respects his legacy, it must first fulfil its promises to minority students,” he said.
Sohail further demanded that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who also holds the Education portfolio, release a white paper on minority education. He said the document should disclose budget allocations, actual expenditure, outstanding dues and student enrolment figures.
Additionally, he sought details of the implementation status of commitments made in the Congress Minority Declaration before the 2023 Assembly elections.