A Joint Movement to Uplift Minorities and Dalits of North Bengal and
Seemanchal/
شمالی بنگال اور سیمانچل میں اقلیتوں اور دلتوں کی ہمہ جہت ترقی کے لیے ایک عظیم قومی تحریک
The University of North Bengal was established by the act of the Legislature of West Bengal in 1962.The University is located outside Siliguri and Bagdogra Airport in the Terai region of Darjeeling district. It has a lot of centers such as Centre for Himalayan Studies wherein Tibetan Language is taught, Centre for Adult & Continuing Education, Centre for Women Studies, Centre for Development Studies etc along with the faculties of Science and Technology. But it is the matter of full regret that there is no regular teaching system of Urdu as well as of Arabic, Persian and Islamic Studies and no specific department for these disciplines in this university. Whereas the University is surrounded by the mostly Muslim majority areas of Chopra, Islampur, Homtabad, Kaliganj, Goalpokhar-1, Goalpokhar-2, Ithara, Karandighi, Raiganj where the Muslim population percentage is 62.34, 71.08, 50.24, 20.70, 61.50, 75.56, 50.04, 49.36, 32.72 respectively as per the 2001 population details of West Bengal State Marketing Board. Most Muslim students of these areas learn/read Urdu/Arabic through taking it as compulsory subject at school level. They want to take higher education of Urdu/Arabic/Persian/Islamic Studies but due to not finding any department for these subjects in their nearby university they drop their education. Out of them some lucky students are doing Regular B.A./M.A. in these subjects at Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia, University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University etc but are facing a lot of problems because of not getting adequate economic and financial assistance from their poor and economically backward families. Moreover as the recent West Bengal Government run by Shrimati Mamata Banerjee has given Urdu the Second language position in above 10 percent Muslim population areas of West Bengal this department is must at this university of the said areas because these areas have above 10 percent Muslim population as the percentage details mentioned above show. So the Department of Urdu as well as of Arabic, Persian and Islamic Studies by making it a joint department is very needed at the said University for promotion of Urdu/Arabic languages in the above mentioned areas as well as it would be an initiative towards removing the backwardness of Muslims in education.
