Where we stand, and how we rise
Millions of Muslim families in India work hard every day and still stay poor. This is not because they lack talent. Many children leave school early, few reach college, and most adults work in unsteady jobs with no savings. The good news: every one of these gaps can be closed by one family, one learner and one skill at a time.
Our condition is a starting point, not our destiny.
What the Sachar Committee found
In March 2005 the Government of India set up a High Level Committee, chaired by Justice Rajindar Sachar, to study the social, economic and educational condition of Indian Muslims. It submitted its report on 17 November 2006, and the report was tabled in Parliament on 30 November 2006. It remains the most complete official picture of the community, and its main conclusion was clear: Muslims lag behind in education, jobs and access to services, in many areas close to or below the most disadvantaged groups.
Education
59.1% literacy
Muslim literacy was 59.1%, below the national average of 64.8% (Census 2001).
1 in 4 children out of school
25% of Muslim children aged 6–14 had either never been to school or had dropped out.
Less than 4% graduates
Less than 4% of Muslims aged 20 and above were graduates or diploma holders, against about 7% of all Indians.
1 in 25, 1 in 50
Only one in 25 undergraduates and one in 50 postgraduates in India’s premier colleges was Muslim.
Few schools nearby
Schools beyond primary level were few in Muslim localities, so many children had nowhere close to continue.
Only about 4% in madrasas
A common belief is that most Muslim children study only in madrasas. The Committee found only about 4% of Muslim school-going children did. Most go to regular schools — the problem is that they leave them early.
Work and income
Mostly self-employed
About 61% of Muslim workers were self-employed, many in small, unsteady work such as street vending, where the Muslim share was the highest of any group.
Few regular jobs
In towns and cities, only about 27% of Muslim workers had regular salaried work — fewer than in any other major group.
Graduates without jobs
Unemployment among Muslim graduates was the highest of all groups. A degree alone was not enough; skills that employers need matter just as much.
3% of the IAS
Muslims, then 13.4% of the population, held about 3% of IAS posts and a small share of government jobs overall.
Twenty years later: what has changed?
Some things have improved, but the gap in higher education is still wide. The Ministry of Education’s All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) shows:
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Muslim share of India’s population (Census 2011) | 14.2% |
| Muslim share of higher education students, 2020-21 | 4.64% (down from 5.45% the year before) |
| Fall in Muslim enrolment, 2019-20 to 2020-21 | About 1.79 lakh fewer students (around 8%) — the only group to fall in absolute numbers |
| Muslim share of higher education students, 2023-24 | 5.01% (22.53 lakh students) |
| Women among Muslim students in higher education, 2023-24 | 51.7% — more than half |
Two lessons stand out. First, Muslim students are still about one in twenty in colleges, while Muslims are about one in seven Indians. Second, change is possible: Muslim daughters are now enrolling faster than sons, and in Kerala around 43% of Muslim youth attend higher education — far above most states. Where families, schools and community back their children, the numbers move.
The cycle that keeps families poor
Behind the numbers is a cycle that repeats in many homes:
- A child leaves school early to help the family earn.
- Without a 10th or 12th certificate, training and good jobs stay closed.
- The young person takes daily-wage or informal work with low, unsteady pay.
- There are no savings, so any illness or loss means debt, often with interest.
- The next generation leaves school early too.
The cycle breaks at one point: a recognised skill that leads to steady income.
The upliftment we need
No single scheme or person can fix this. It needs many small steps, taken together, by learners, parents and the community.
1. Keep children in school to 10th
The 10th certificate is the key that opens ITI, polytechnic and most jobs. The years from class 8 to 10 are where most children are lost.
2. Skills that pay
A recognised trade — electrician, AC technician, solar installer, patient care, tailoring — can lead to steady income within one or two years.
3. Use every scheme and scholarship
Government training schemes and scholarships exist for exactly these families, but many miss them because no one told them or their documents are not ready.
4. Daughters and women
Muslim girls are already leading the rise in college enrolment. Nursing, teaching, office work and home-based trades let women earn with dignity and support their families.
5. Madrasa and mainstream together
Madrasa students have discipline and strong learning habits. Adding a recognised 10th and 12th opens every other road as well.
6. Higher education and public service
For those with the time and support: professional degrees, government jobs, civil and judicial services, and research.
7. Save, and avoid interest debt
Income only lifts a family when part of it is saved. Small regular savings protect against the debt that pulls families back down.
8. Build businesses that hire
Skilled workers who grow into contractors and owners create jobs for others in their own community.
9. Those who rise, lift others
Professionals can mentor. Those with means can sponsor a course fee. Employers can open their doors. Zakat and sadaqah spent on education build lasting change.
Our faith asks us to strive
- The first word revealed of the Qur’an was a command to learn: “Read, in the name of your Lord who created” (Qur’an 96:1).
- “Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” (Qur’an 13:11).
- The Prophet ﷺ said that no one eats better food than what he earns with his own hands, and that the Prophet Dawud (David) ate from the work of his own hands (Sahih al-Bukhari 2072).
- “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, and there is good in both. Strive for what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not give up” (Sahih Muslim 2664).
Learning a skill, earning honestly, saving and helping others is not separate from faith. It is part of it.
What you can do today
If you are young
Take the short quiz, pick one path and take the first step this week.
If you are a parent
Keep your children in school until at least 10th, sons and daughters alike. A few more years of school can change a whole lifetime of income.
If you lead a masjid, madrasa or group
Share this site with your community — after Jumu’ah, on notice boards and in family WhatsApp groups. Many families simply do not know these routes exist.
If you employ people
Share genuine openings so trained learners can apply to you directly.
Show up, keep learning, and we will show you the next step.
Sources
- Ministry of Minority Affairs, Salient findings of the Sachar Committee and follow-up action.
- PRS Legislative Research, Summary of the Sachar Committee Report.
- Prime Minister’s High Level Committee, Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India (2006).
- Ministry of Education, All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), 2019-20 to 2023-24.
- Arun C. Mehta, Minority education in Indian higher education: AISHE 2022-23/2023-24 update.
The Sachar figures describe India around 2001–2006; newer figures are given where official data exists. SkilledMuslim is not a recruitment agency and never charges anyone.