The parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment has recently queried the Union Government regarding the delay in endorsing the continuation of the Scheme for Providing Education to Madrasas/Minorities (SPEMM). SPEMM is a financial aid scheme aimed at madrasas and minority institutes, seeking to improve the quality of their education.
Understand SPEMM
The SPEMM program is administered by the Department of School Education and Literacy, under the Ministry of Education. It consists of two primary sub-schemes. The first is the Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM), which aims to enhance the standard of education within madrasas, enabling Muslim students to attain achievement levels consistent with the prevailing national educational system.
The second part of this initiative is the Infrastructure Development of Minority Institutes (IDMI). IDMI is designed to upgrade infrastructure of Private Aided/Unaided Minority Schools/Institutions to improve the educational experience for minority children.
Key Features
The SPQEM sub-scheme provides financial assistance to traditional educational institutions to integrate subjects like Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Hindi, and English into their curriculum. It also seeks to fortify State Madrasa Boards by equipping them with the resources necessary to supervise the modernisation of Madrasas.
On the other hand, IDMI promotes educational facilities for girls as well as children with special needs among minorities. These initiatives fall under Article 30 of the Indian Constitution, which grants all minorities—based on religion or language—the authority to establish and govern educational institutions of their preference.
History and Role of Parliamentary Committees
Parliamentary Committees originated from the British Parliament and are committees consisting of Members of Parliament appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker/Chairman. They operate under the direction of the Speaker/chairman and submit their reports to the House or the Speaker/Chairman. Their authority is drawn from Article 105 and Article 118 of the Indian Constitution.
Types of Parliamentary Committees
The Standing Committees are permanent and operate on an ongoing basis. They are grouped into six categories, namely Financial Committees, Departmental Standing Committees, Committees to Inquire, Committees to Scrutinise and Control, Committees Relating to the Day-to-Day Business of the House, and House-Keeping Committees or Service Committees.
Ad Hoc Committees, conversely, are temporary and cease upon completion of their assigned task. They are subdivided into Inquiry Committees and Advisory Committees.
UPSC Civil Services Examination Questions
In past examinations, questions related to these topics have been asked, such as rights of a religious sect/community registered as a national minority (2011), entities reviewing independent regulators in sectors like telecommunications, insurance, electricity, etc (2019), and the responsibilities of various Parliamentary Committees (2018). These questions illustrate the significance of familiarising oneself with these concepts for potential future examination questions.
