In the heart of New Delhi, the Ministry of Education unveiled the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 rankings on September 4, 2025. The air was thick with anticipation as academics, policymakers, and students awaited the results. For three of India’s most storied Muslim institutions—Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), and Jamia Hamdard—the outcome was a bittersweet moment. Once shining beacons in the 2024 rankings, they had slipped in the 2025 standings, sparking a quiet but urgent conversation about their challenges and resilience.
A Legacy Under Pressure
JMI, AMU, and Jamia Hamdard were not just universities; they were symbols of a community’s fight for educational empowerment. Founded in the crucible of India’s independence movement, JMI (1920) and AMU (1875, as Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College) had defied colonial oppression to nurture scholars, leaders, and change-makers. Jamia Hamdard, established in 1989, carried forward this legacy with its focus on pharmacy and medical sciences. Yet, the NIRF 2025 rankings told a sobering story: JMI fell from 3rd to 4th, AMU from 8th to 10th, and Jamia Hamdard from 40th to 47th among Indian universities. In the overall category, JMI held steady at 13th, but AMU slipped from 16th to 19th, and Jamia Hamdard plummeted from 62nd to 74th.
Despite these setbacks, there were glimmers of hope. Jamia Hamdard retained its crown as India’s top pharmacy college, outshining Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani and Panjab University. JMI also excelled in specific domains, securing 5th in Architecture and Planning, 8th in Law, 17th in Dental, 20th in Research, 24th in Engineering, and 28th in Management. These achievements underscored their enduring strengths, but the question lingered: why were these institutions faltering in the broader rankings?
The Weight of Expectations
The NIRF rankings, launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Education, evaluate institutions on five parameters: Teaching, Learning, and Resources (TLR); Research and Professional Practices (RP); Graduation Outcomes (GO); Outreach and Inclusivity (OI); and Perception (PR). For JMI, AMU, and Jamia Hamdard, each parameter revealed both triumphs and trials.
In a quiet corner of JMI’s campus, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mazhar Asif reflected on the results. “Our drop from 3rd to 4th is a call to introspect,” he said, his voice steady but resolute. “We’ve excelled in sustainability, ranking 3rd in the new SDG category, but resource constraints and perception challenges hold us back.” JMI’s sprawling campus, home to 284 courses and a research-intensive environment with an h-index of 129, faced funding shortages that limited infrastructure upgrades and faculty recruitment. The university’s storied history—founded by nationalist leaders like Muhammad Ali Jauhar and supported by Mahatma Gandhi—could not fully shield it from modern financial pressures.
At AMU, Dr. Khalid Mahmood, a professor of political science, stood before students in the iconic Kennedy Auditorium. “We’re still in the top 10, but 10th feels like a wake-up call,” he admitted. AMU’s slide from 8th to 10th was partly due to a dip in research output and perception scores, often clouded by political controversies. “We are unfairly labelled as ‘separate’ or ‘anti-national,’” Khalid said, echoing sentiments from a Clarion India report. “Our students and faculty work tirelessly, but external biases affect how we’re perceived.”
Jamia Hamdard’s Chancellor, Hammad Ahmed, took pride in the pharmacy ranking but acknowledged the broader decline. “Our focus on specialized fields like pharmacy is unmatched, but scaling research across disciplines requires investment we struggle to secure,” he said. The university’s drop to 47th reflected challenges in graduation outcomes and outreach, despite its innovative contributions to healthcare.
The Roots of the Struggle
The reasons for the slide were complex, woven into systemic and societal threads. Funding was a persistent hurdle. Muslim institutions, often serving marginalized communities, relied heavily on government grants, which were stretched thin across India’s vast higher education system. Unlike IITs or IISc Bengaluru, which topped the 2025 rankings with robust budgets and global partnerships, JMI, AMU, and Jamia Hamdard faced resource gaps that hampered lab upgrades, international collaborations, and faculty expansion.
Perception, the most subjective NIRF parameter, was another battleground. JMI and AMU, in particular, had faced political scrutiny, from protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019 to accusations of fostering separatism. These narratives, though refuted by their diverse alumni—including Shah Rukh Khan, Virender Sehwag, and countless public servants—tainted their public image. “Perception isn’t just about academic output; it’s about how the world sees us,” said a JMI professor, requesting anonymity. “We’re judged not just as universities but as Muslim institutions.”
Research output, another critical metric, lagged due to limited access to cutting-edge facilities and fewer industry tie-ups. While IISc Bengaluru and JNU, ranked 1st and 2nd, boasted global research networks, Muslim institutions struggled to match their scale. Jamia Hamdard’s pharmacy program thrived, but its broader research portfolio needed bolstering. AMU’s rich legacy in humanities and sciences was undeniable, yet its STEM research output trailed newer players like Manipal Academy (3rd) and BITS Pilani (7th).
A Path Forward
The story was not one of defeat but of resilience. At JMI, Prof. Asif rallied faculty to double down on research grants and international partnerships. The university’s Internal Quality Assurance Cell, established in 2010, was already driving quality improvements, earning an A++ NAAC accreditation. AMU launched initiatives to boost STEM research, with plans to collaborate with tech giants. Jamia Hamdard, leveraging its pharmacy success, aimed to expand interdisciplinary programs, eyeing a return to the top 40.
The 2025 rankings, while a setback, were a clarion call. These institutions, born from struggle, had faced greater odds before. JMI’s move from Aligarh to Delhi in 1925, AMU’s rise from the ashes of 1857, and Jamia Hamdard’s ascent in pharmacy proved their tenacity. As Dr. Khalid told his students, “Our history is long, our struggles real, but our contributions undeniable. These rankings are a moment, not our destiny.”
Across India, the NIRF 2025 rankings celebrated excellence, with IISc Bengaluru, JNU, and IITs leading the charge. Yet, for JMI, AMU, and Jamia Hamdard, the journey was about more than numbers. It was about carrying the dreams of a community, defying prejudice, and building a future where knowledge transcended barriers. As the sun set over JMI’s Okhla campus, AMU’s sprawling lawns, and Jamia Hamdard’s labs, their students studied on, undeterred, knowing their institutions’ legacy would endure.
In the vibrant heart of Dakar, Senegal, the air buzzed with anticipation. It was September 10, 2025, and the Semi-finals of the Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition were about to begin. From a staggering 32,000 applications across all 54 African nations, 20 exceptional entrepreneurs had emerged, each a beacon of innovation, resilience, and hope. They had battled through rigorous rounds of interviews and due diligence to stand on the cusp of greatness, one step away from the Grand Finale in Kigali, where the Top 10 would share a $1.5 million prize pool and global recognition.
The venue, a sleek conference center overlooking Dakar’s bustling coastline, hummed with energy. The stage was set for these visionaries to pitch their transformative businesses to a panel of judges: Hasan Haidar, a venture capital titan from PlusVC; Moulaye Taboure, a former ABH Top 10 Hero and founder of ANKA, now a judge in a historic first; and Jason Pau, the Jack Ma Foundation’s international director, whose vision had fueled ABH’s mission to uplift Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit.
The Entrepreneurs
The 20 semifinalists were a tapestry of Africa’s diversity, hailing from nine countries and spanning 10 sectors—healthtech, fintech, agritech, sustainability, and more. Among them were:
Adriaan Kruger from South Africa, whose HealthTech startup, nuvoteQ, was revolutionizing digital solutions for healthcare access in underserved communities. His platform connected rural clinics to specialists via AI-driven diagnostics, slashing wait times and saving lives.
Baraka Chijenga from Tanzania, founder of Kilimo Fresh Foods Africa Limited, an agritech venture ensuring food security by linking smallholder farmers to markets through a subscription-based model. Her app empowered farmers with real-time data on crop prices and weather patterns.
Blandine Umuziranenge from Rwanda, whose Kosmotive was a beacon for women’s empowerment, providing affordable maternal health products and education to combat maternal mortality in remote areas.
Bundi Mbuthia from Kenya, whose Uzapoint Technologies offered digital tools for SMEs, streamlining operations for small businesses that powered local economies.
Each entrepreneur carried a story of grit. Adriaan had bootstrapped nuvoteQ from a garage, coding late into the night while juggling a day job. Baraka, a farmer’s daughter, had seen hunger firsthand and vowed to build a system that ensured no harvest went to waste. Blandine, a mother herself, had turned personal loss into a mission to save others. Bundi, once a street vendor, now enabled thousands of vendors like him to thrive in a digital age.
The Semifinals
The first day of the Semifinals was electric. The entrepreneurs, dressed in a mix of vibrant African prints and sharp business attire, mingled in the lobby, exchanging ideas and dreams. Senegal’s 8.6% GDP growth and its role as host of the upcoming 2026 Youth Olympic Games made it a fitting backdrop—a symbol of Africa’s rising tide of innovation.
Inside the auditorium, the judges sat poised, their expertise a formidable gate to the Grand Finale. The rules were clear: each entrepreneur had 10 minutes to pitch, followed by a gruelling Q&A. The criteria—innovation, impact, scalability, and leadership—would determine who advanced.
Adriaan took the stage first, his voice steady as he described nuvoteQ’s impact: “In one year, we’ve connected 50,000 patients to care they’d never have accessed otherwise.” Hasan Haidar leaned forward, asking about scalability. Adriaan’s response was crisp: “Our AI is cloud-based, deployable anywhere with internet. We’re already piloting in three countries.”
Baraka followed, her passion palpable. “Food security isn’t just about growing crops—it’s about ensuring farmers profit.” She showcased her app’s dashboard, where farmers tracked demand in real time. Moulaye Taboure, drawing from his own journey, pressed her on sustainability. Baraka smiled: “Our subscription model reinvests profits into training farmers on climate-smart techniques.”
Blandine’s pitch was deeply personal. “I lost my sister to childbirth complications. Kosmotive exists so no woman faces that fate.” Her low-cost birthing kits, distributed via women-led cooperatives, had reached 10,000 mothers. Jason Pau asked about funding gaps; Blandine’s plan to partner with NGOs for scale impressed him.
Bundi’s pitch was a masterclass in clarity. “SMEs are Africa’s backbone, but they lack tools. Uzapoint gives them affordable software to compete.” His demo showed a vendor managing inventory on a smartphone. The judges nodded, seeing the potential to digitize millions of businesses.
The Stakes
As the pitches continued, the room felt the weight of what was at stake. Beyond the $100,000–$300,000 grants, the Top 10 would gain mentorship, global networks, and media exposure. ABH wasn’t just a competition; it was a launchpad. Past Heroes had raised millions, expanded across borders, and created thousands of jobs. The 2024 winner, Henri Ousmane Gueye from Senegal, had turned his third attempt into a $300,000 triumph, proving persistence paid off.
The diversity of the 2025 cohort shone through. Nine countries—South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, and more—were represented, with 40% female finalists and 20% from Francophone regions. Sectors like fintech tackled financial inclusion, while sustainability ventures addressed climate challenges. Zahra Baitie-Boateng, ABH’s Africa MD, had called it a “dynamic innovation landscape,” and the pitches proved her right.
The Turning Point
On day two, tensions rose. The judges deliberated behind closed doors, weighing each pitch. The entrepreneurs waited in the lounge, some pacing, others laughing over coffee, their camaraderie a testament to ABH’s community spirit. Local partners like Wave, Sonatel, and InTouch Group had sponsored the event, their presence reinforcing Senegal’s role as an entrepreneurial hub.
When the judges emerged, the room fell silent. Hasan Haidar spoke first: “Your businesses are not just ventures—they’re movements.” Moulaye Taboure added, “I have been where you are. Your resilience inspires me.” Jason Pau closed with, “You’re building Africa’s future.”
The Top 10 would be announced later, but the 20 semi-finalists had already won something greater: a platform to amplify their impact. As they left Dakar, bound for Kigali’s Grand Finale in December, they carried a shared conviction: Africa’s challenges were vast, but its entrepreneurs were unstoppable.
Epilogue
Back in their communities, the 20 Heroes continued their work. Adriaan’s clinics saved more lives. Baraka’s farmers fed more families. Blandine’s kits reached more mothers. Bundi’s tools empowered more vendors. The ABH journey had transformed them, not just as entrepreneurs, but as catalysts for a continent on the rise.
In Dakar, the echoes of their pitches lingered, a promise of what Africa could achieve when its boldest dreamers were given a chance to soar.
In the bustling town of Malegaon, Maharashtra—a hub of textile mills and diverse communities—a shocking education scam has unravelled, exposing deep-rooted corruption in the state’s public schooling system. What began as a whistleblower complaint about unqualified teachers drawing salaries for over a decade has ballooned into a multi-crore fraud involving fake appointments, backdated records, and complicit officials. As of September 2025, arrests continue to mount, with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Nashik Rural Police at the forefront of the probe. This case not only highlights local malfeasance but also ties into a larger statewide scandal of “ghost teachers” siphoning off billions in public funds.
The Anatomy of the Fraud
At the heart of the Malegaon scam are two primary schools: Malegaon High School & Junior College, managed by the Anjuman Moinut Tulba society, and Y N Jadhav School in Sangmeshwar. In a brazen scheme, school managements allegedly recruited 13 teachers in 2024 but doctored records to show their appointments dated back to 2012. This sleight of hand allowed them to claim government salaries retroactively—from 2012 to 2021—totalling over Rs 2.6 crore for the Anjuman school alone. Similar irregularities plagued Y N Jadhav School, where at least one junior clerk, Sandip Jadhav, was appointed in 2012 despite failing to pass his Class 10 exams. He pocketed Rs 45 lakh in salary until April 2024, contributing to a combined fraud exceeding Rs 1 crore across the cases.
The modus operandi was simple yet insidious: Proposals for these “appointments” were funnelled through the Nashik Zilla Parishad (ZP) education department, where officials rubber-stamped the documents without verification. Fake joining dates, forged qualifications, and even non-existent staff profiles were entered into the system, enabling the diversion of funds meant for genuine educators. Investigations revealed that unqualified individuals paid bribes—ranging from Rs 20-30 lakh—to secure these phantom positions, a tactic echoing the broader Maharashtra ghost teachers racket. In aided schools like those in Malegaon, lax oversight made such manipulations easier, as these institutions receive government grants with minimal on-ground scrutiny.
This local episode is symptomatic of a massive statewide crisis. In July 2025, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis revealed in the assembly that education officials had created thousands of bogus identities on the Shalarth portal—a digital platform for teacher salaries and records—to embezzle between Rs 2,000 and 3,000 crore. Fake Shalarth IDs, complete with fabricated bank accounts and photos, allowed salaries to be withdrawn for non-existent staff, with bribes demanded even from legitimate teachers for backdated promotions. While the Malegaon case isn’t explicitly linked in reports, its tactics mirror this epidemic, underscoring systemic vulnerabilities in the education bureaucracy.
Key Players and the Trail of Arrests
The scam’s exposure owes much to Zainab, daughter of teacher Mohammad, who filed a complaint on July 27, 2024, at Pawarwadi Police Station in Malegaon. Her allegations triggered a domino effect of revelations, implicating school managements, teachers, and high-ranking officials.
School Management: Ishaque Zariwala, Chairman of Anjuman Moinut Tulba, and other committee members face arrest warrants after their anticipatory bail pleas were rejected by lower courts. They have escalated the matter to the Bombay High Court.
Teachers Involved: On September 2, 2025, five teachers from Malegaon High School—Imtiaz Ahmed Riyaz Ahmed, Aafaque Anjum Ashfaq Ahmed, Faheem Ahmed Iqbal Ahmed, Shaikh Aarif Ibrahim, and Naeem Ahmed Sagheer Ahmed—were arrested following EOW interrogations. Statements from retired headmasters and existing staff corroborated the backdating fraud.
Education Officials: The noose tightened on September 10, 2025, when three senior Nashik ZP figures were nabbed, Praveen Patil (Deputy Director of Education), Uday Deore (Deputy Education Officer), and Sudhir Pagar (Office Superintendent). Patil and Pagar were tied to the Anjuman school fraud, while Deore cleared the bogus junior clerk at Y N Jadhav School. Produced before a Malegaon court, they were remanded to police custody until September 13, 2025.
Politically, the scandal has roiled Malegaon, a constituency represented by Education Minister Dada Bhuse. Local MLA Mufti Ismail spotlighted the issue during the Maharashtra Assembly’s Monsoon Session in July 2025, accusing corruption of thriving “under the nose” of the minister and demanding accountability. Bhuse’s response led to the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Nagpur’s Zone 2 Deputy Commissioner Nityanand Jha, broadening the probe to include Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, and Chandrapur districts—where 24 officers and principals have already been arrested.
Broader Implications and the Road Ahead
The Malegaon scam has inflicted lasting damage. Genuine teachers went underpaid while fraudsters siphoned funds, eroding trust in an already strained public education system. With over Rs 3 crore lost locally and billions statewide, it raises urgent questions about digital portals like Shalarth and the need for field-level audits, as urged by former official Ram Pawar.
As the SIT delves deeper—with more arrests likely—the case could reshape Maharashtra’s education governance. For Malegaon’s students, whose futures hang in the balance, swift reforms are not just desirable but essential. The arrests signal progress, but only rigorous oversight can prevent the next ghost from haunting the classroom.
Malegaon: – The Maeeshat Foundation’s Malegaon Chapter organized a significant Mashwara (Consultation) Meeting at Green Land, Lonwade, Malegaon, to shape a transformative cover story for Maeeshat Magazine (English). Titled “Redefining the City of Power Looms – Malegaon,” the event brought together thought leaders, stakeholders, and community members to discuss and highlight Malegaon’s evolving identity and untapped potential.
Held on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 8:00 PM, the gathering served as a platform for meaningful dialogue, fostering collaboration and innovative ideas to reframe Malegaon’s narrative beyond its traditional association with power looms. The Maeeshat Foundation, dedicated to promoting socio-economic development, emphasized the importance of collective insights in crafting a story that reflects the city’s aspirations and progress.
The cover story aims to showcase Malegaon’s transformation, spotlighting its cultural, economic, and social advancements on a broader stage. Attendees were encouraged to share their perspectives, ensuring the narrative captures the community’s voice and vision.
The Maeeshat Foundation – Malegaon Chapter expressed gratitude for the enthusiastic participation and reiterated its commitment to driving initiatives that uplift and redefine the city’s identity. This Mashwara Meeting marks a pivotal step toward positioning Malegaon as a hub of opportunity and innovation in Maeeshat Magazine’s upcoming edition.
When out of power, PM Narendra Modi was vocal in criticizing the Congress Party for the “Pink Revolution”—the nickname for India’s rising beef exports. He blamed Manmohan Singh’s government for encouraging the beef trade to woo the 14% Indian Muslims.
Modi had then promised to curb the beef export industry, but it turned out to be yet another promise he had never kept. Under Modi’s rule, beef exports have increased by 16 percent since 2014.
Putting the brakes on India’s beef industry isn’t as easy as it sounds. The lack of a comprehensive, uniform law regarding cow slaughter makes it easier for people to find ways to kill cows if they want to. Inside India’s borders, people dodge the law by smuggling cows to states where there are little or no penalties for cow slaughter. So things go on, as it was going before.
India now ranks as the second-largest beef exporter globally, earning around $4.3 billion annually. The world’s largest beef exporter is Brazil, followed by India, Australia, the USA, and the UK.
Indian beef export began in the 1960s, but it grew significantly in the last decade under the Modi rule. Today, India exports beef to 65 countries. The demand for Indian beef is especially high because it comes from free-ranging buffaloes fed on natural pastures.
The cow vs buffalo’s meat export is something that’s always being debated in India. It is said that the bulk of India’s meat export is buffalo meat. India has 115 million buffaloes, more than half the world’s population, and produces about 1.53 million tons of beef every year.”
Those who argue for cow meat say there are 76 million cows, and India is now the world’s largest milk producer. Most cows, past their milk-producing age, end up being turned into leather and beef export rather than living out their years in cow shelters. Even though some Hindus might argue that the beef export comes from buffalo meat, many in India’s beef industry say it’s likely that the cow meat too is supporting the lucrative beef export industry in India.
The business opportunities in the beef export industry are tremendous. The lucrativeness of the beef export business is attracting Hindus into this trade. Money from exporting meat to oil-rich Gulf countries has brought Hindus to this trade. Among the six largest meat exporters in India, four are Hindus. 1) Al-Kabeer Exports Pvt. Ltd company owned by Mr. Shatish & Mr. Atul Sabharwal 2) Arabian Exports Pvt.Ltd company owned by Mr.Sunil Kapoor 3) M.K.R Frozen Food Exports Pvt. Ltd. Company owned by Mr. Madan Abott 4) P.M.L Industries Pvt. Ltd. Company owned by Mr. A.S Bindra.
Another notable feature that warrants attention is that all the beef exported has been stamped with Halal certification; however, the BJP-ruled government has imposed a ban on Halal certification for domestic consumption.
