EDUCATION

Mohammed Haji Saboo Siddik College of Engineering, Bombay A Feather in the Cap of Anjuman-i-Islam, Bombay

The Mohammed Haji Saboo Siddik Institution owes its existence to the munificence of the late Mohammed son of Haji Saboo Siddik who bequeathed a large sum of money for establishing, conducting and managing the Institution. It is managed and administered by the Anjuman-i-Islam as the Sole Trustee.

The Institution was founded in 1936 as a trade school with the object of turning out artisans in selected industrial arts and crafts. The M.H. Saboo Siddik College of Engineering was set up in 1984-85. The College conducts degree courses in Construction, Production, Electronics and Automobile Engineering with an intake of 60,60,60 and 30 students respectively. The college is affiliated to the University of Bombay and its courses are recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The Institute of Engineers has accredited the courses in Production and Automobile Engineering conducted by the College. The staff strength is 136, with 50 teaching and 86 non-teaching staff members. Students' strength is about 1,000.

To the First Year courses, a total of 50 per cent seats are reserved for the Muslim minority out of which 50 per cent are free and 50 per cent payment seats respectively. The remaining 50 per cent seats belong to the open merit category to be filled up by the Government of Maharashtra through the Central Admission Cell, out of which 50 per cent are free and 50 per cent payment seats. Five per cent of the total intake i.c. 10 seats are reserved for the wards of NRI's, out of which 50 per cent are filled by Muslim minority candidates. First class diploma holders are selected by the Maharashtra Government for direct admission to the Second Year Degree Course.

The College is also one of the few Accredited Engineering colleges recognised by the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysis, Hyderabad, for conducting courses like Diploma in Business Finance, MBAF (MBA) Foundation Programme), etc.

This is the only engineering college with a Muslim minority status in Maharashtra and is also the only institution affiliated to the Bombay University conducting B.E. Degree course in Automobile Engineering.

Principal, Dr. A.M. Chara is a well-known educationist with more than 30 years of teaching and administrative experience, points out: "No students of ours remains unemployed. The Training and Placement Cell explores the possibility of placing students of all four branches for short-term training while they are with us and also for jobs after completion of studies. Besides, we emphasize the overall development of the personality  of the students - which includes cultural activities, sports and debating skills".

 The College is accommodated in a newly- constructed five-storeyed building, centrally located at Byculla at a distance of about 1.5 km. from Bombay Central Railway Station on the Western Railway.

 The College library (has) a collection of more than 20,000 volumes of text and reference books. It subscribes to as many as 60 national and international journals, reports and newspapers. Almost all the laboratories of the college are well equipped with modern equipment to give the maximum practical exposure to the students.

 It is mainly due to the dedicated work of the faculty that the College is ranked as one of the best colleges in Bombay University. The teachers are regularly sponsored for Quality Improvement Programmes/Seminars/ Workshops/Conferencs organized by various agencies like the AICTE/Universities/State Government etc. Under the faculty development programme, selected teachers are sponsored for post-graduation programmes every year to further hone skills. Many teachers have won national awards and distinctions.

 A number of students of all branches achieved distinctions/ranks in University examinations every year. In the May 1995 University examinations, Desai Nageshrao Dattaraj (Final B.E. Production) was ranked fourth in the University. Badar Suhail Sirajuddin and Barshan Afshan Sorab (Final B.E. Construction) were ranked third and fourth respectively,

 Proposals for the conversion of the Construction Engineering course into a Civil Engineering course and starting part-time degree courses in engineering are under consideration.

Shahabuddin on Government Funding of Vedic Studies Letter to Human Resource Minister Scindia, 22 December, 1995

Many of the activities undertaken by the Ved Vidya Sansthan, Ujjain, amount to the promotion of a religion, as distinct from that of a language or of a discipline and the expenditure thereon may be questioned on ground of constitutional propriety. I wonder whether the government would agree to establish a National Institute for Quranic Studies and fund similar activities by that Institute.I would request you, therefore, to kindly review the situation in the light of the Constitution and draw a clear distinction between academic and religious projects.