Although reservation provides one of the quickest way to address the issue but positive measures like providing scholarships to the deserving, on counts of both merit as well as need, likely to have stronger and more sustainable long term impact. Another such initiative would be to set up primary and secondary schools of high standard in under served Muslim concentrated areas, particularly addressing children from poor families. In other areas where a school is not needed, a special coaching and guidance center can address the deficiency need. In such cases, initially the success will appear thin but there needs to be determined and persistent effort.                      
First of all, the schools or the coaching centers need to maintain a high academic standard like those of ICSE or CBSE schools. It is quite obvious that initially, in an underserved community, the parents might not be very much enthusiastic about their children’s education. For them helping in the family affairs or contributing to the narrow supply of income might seem more important. We have to create an environment as to how parents, even though they might be illiterate, develop a positive attitude towards education and ultimately own the responsibility to educate their children.

Doing this is difficult but not impossible. We need to identify interest groups, like clubs, association or groups of progressive minded elders or youths from the community itself who can mobilize the community at the local level. Muslim NGOs or any other organization interested to help the community with a track record of transparency and efficiency can be instrumental in such an effort. Lack of credible NGOs maybe an issue, but to start with, on a pilot basis, identifying a few NGOs won’t be a problem. Once a few organizations take up the initiative and come up with a viable proposal, the government or non-government funding agencies can evaluate the same and grant a project. For monitoring, the implementing agency, the NGO itself will primarily be responsible. In addition, the local interest group will provide necessary inputs in terms of community relations, cooperation, and community mobilization.                                                    
In order to enable the children to study, the access to education must be free or the cost of it be paid. This may come from a well designed scholarship that takes care of the school tuition, books and stationary and extra coaching, if required. These scholarships will do the dual job of meeting the need as well as motivating the children and their respective parents towards education. Such a specialized effort in uplifting the deprived community will more effective than reservations in the sense that it will provide children with the confidence and competence required to meet the actual challenge rather that facing a subsided one. Competent and able children will give rise to a strong community and strong communities will build a stronger nation. We need to advocate for a uniformly strong and competent nation, not a uniformly reserved and weaker nation!                                              

Our Journey to the Day of Resurrection, Part-1