Exploring Professional Educational Attainments and Employment Practices among Muslims in Telangana: An Overview

Ensuring Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and promoting avenues for productive employment and decent work for all are regarded as a part of the key agendas of sustainable development goals framed by United Nations. Telangana, the newest state of India was formed after a massive peoples' movement which including redressal of injustices in providing employment opportunities as a major plank of the movement, coincides with the agenda framed for Sustainable Development Goals. The present paper examines the contours in professional education and employment in specific of context of a major minority community in Telangana, i.e., Muslims. This study argues that despite three-fourth of the Muslims living in urban areas- professional education and decent employment remain a big challenge for Muslims. This paper analyzes several indicators such as demographical composition of Muslims, their literacy rate, Gender gap and enrolment in various professional programmes in different Institutions while mapping their share in private sector employment. The study reveals that a smaller number of Muslims are enrolled in professional education. Professional courses such as Bachelor of Legislative Law (LLB) and Medicine seems to be unpopular among Muslims since these courses are associated with significant financial expenses. However, gender, literacy gap considered, Muslims have shown relatively better position than other religious communities and social groups. In tune with a relatively lesser enrolment in professional courses, a substantial number of Muslims under the category of private employment are engaged in self-employed. The study highlights the need for the state to provide timely fellowship for professional courses to Muslims in order to ensure adequate representation of Muslims in professional education which engenders the capacity to get decent employment