Marginalised by caste, marginalised in education

Atul Kumar, a Scheduled Caste (SC) student, lost his seat at IIT Dhanbad due to an inability to pay the ?17,500 seat booking fee. This case highlighted the broader issue of systemic inequalities and financial barriers faced by students from marginalized communities, especially Dalits, in accessing higher education.

The Rise in Tuition Fees

• Increasing Fee Burden: The Indian government’s push for “Atmanirbhar Bharat” has led to significant hikes in tuition fees at prestigious institutions like IITs and IIMs, making higher education increasingly unaffordable for students from marginalized communities.
• Impact on Dalit Students: Rising fees disproportionately affect Dalit students who are already economically disadvantaged, hindering their access to top-tier education despite securing competitive ranks.
• Government's Response: While the government introduced schemes like Vidyalakshmi for scholarships, these have proven inadequate to meet the growing financial demands of students, as highlighted by continuous fee hikes.

Dropout Rates Among Marginalized Students

• High Dropout Rate: Many students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) drop out of prestigious institutions due to financial constraints, with over 13,500 such students leaving central universities and IITs/IIMs in the last five years.
• Barriers to Sustaining Education: The inability to meet rising tuition fees results in high dropout rates, particularly in IITs, where 2,066 OBC students and 1,068 SC students dropped out in recent years.
• Impact on Aspirations: These dropouts reflect the stark reality that despite securing admission in competitive institutions, financial challenges force students from marginalized communities to abandon their educational pursuits.

Caste-Based Inequality in Education and Employment

• Caste-Based Discrimination: Dalit students continue to face caste-based discrimination in educational institutions, leading to social isolation and emotional toll, as seen in various tragic incidents.
• Lack of Representation: Data from IITs highlights that the faculty composition is skewed, with only 5% representation from SC, ST, and OBC communities, despite these groups comprising 70%-80% of the population.
• Persistent Structural Barriers: These statistics indicate deep-rooted caste-based inequalities not only in student enrollment but also in faculty and employment opportunities, exacerbating the challenges faced by Dalit students in both education and job markets.

Practice Question:

Q. Discuss the socio-economic challenges faced by students from marginalized communities in accessing and sustaining higher education in India. Analyze the impact of rising tuition fees, caste-based discrimination, and dropout rates on their educational aspirations and employment opportunities.