Institutions’ minority status to be permanent

CHENNAI: The minority education institutions in the State would have permanent religious minority status henceforth. The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order to do away with the earlier practice of issuing religious minority status for a stipulated period.

The State government has taken the policy decision to issue permanent religious minority status to the education institutions to benefit the minority. Hitherto, BC, MBC and Minorities Welfare Department issued minority status certificates based on the recommendation from the empowered committee, in December 2022, for the education institutions for a period of five years. At the recently held meeting with the representatives of the minority institutions, Chief Minister M K Stalin assured that the education institutions of the minority community would be given permanent religious minority status instead of five years. Following this, the Commissioner of BC, MBC, and Minority Welfare Department forwarded a proposal in this regard.

“After taking it into consideration, the department has decided to issue permanent religious minority status to the minority education institutions,” Secretary of the department Ritta Harish Thakkar said in the order dated on February 2, while ManithaneyaMakkal Katchi leader and Papanasam MLA Prof M H Jawahirullah said, “It was one of our demands to the Chief Minister and we are happy that it has been materalised.’’

The government has also laid down a set of guidelines for the institutions to obtain permanent status.

Going by the guidelines, the management of the minority education institutions - schools and colleges -should upload details of the students enrolled in their respective institutions in Education Management and Information System (EMIS) and University Management and Information System (UMIS) along with a self-declaration form before the end of November every year.

The institutions should also upload the details of the new trustee and office bearers of the trust or society that runs the institution whenever there is the change of guard. The details should be uploaded in the system within a period of three months of the change of guard.