Dr. PA Fazal Ghafoor, President, Muslim Education Society, Kerala

Where would you place education on your national list of priorities?
At the very top. Because illiteracy and under-education are the greatest impediments to national development.
  
How best to modernise madrassa schools?
Add secular syllabuses and curriculums to round off and complete religious education.

Thinker/philosopher you admire most.
Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, the father and champion of education and social advancement of India’s backward classes.

Your favourite educationist.
My father Dr. P.K.Abdul Ghafoor, who founded the biggest Muslim education movement in India.

Your leadership style.
Building a consensus and implementing decisions with resolution.

Your favourite book on leadership.
An active life is the best book.

For or against the RTE Act mandating 25 percent reservation for underprivileged children in private schools?
For. Because the number of poor in the country is very large and they need all the help they can get.

Also read: Why the RTE act should be scrapped

Should education outlay be doubled by cutting defence expenditure?
Yes. Intensified diplomatic initiatives are a better alternative.

How satisfied are you with the growth and development of the Muslim Education Society, Kerala?
Highly satisfied and gratified. Kerala’s Muslim community is the most advanced in India in terms of education, vocational skills and employability.

Pessimistic or optimistic about the future of Indian education?
Optimistic. The number of education institutions mushrooming in South India in particular is huge, and also across the country.