14,000 OBC, SC/ST Students Drop Out of Central Universities, IITs, and IIMs in 5 Years

The statistics remain concerning within the IITs as well, with 3,542 students from reserved categories discontinuing their studies, out of which 2,066 belonged to the OBC category

Approximately 14,000 students hailing from OBC, SC, and ST categories have discontinued their courses within Central Universities, IITs, and IIMs, according to data released by the Ministry of Education. Over the past five years, the figures reveal that more than 9,500 students from reserved categories have left Central Universities alone.

When questioned about the Government's assessment regarding the total number of dropouts from Central Universities, IITs, IIMs, and NLUs over the last five years, the Ministry of Education reported that 9,642 students from OBC, SC, and ST backgrounds had discontinued their studies from Central Universities.

The statistics remain concerning within the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) as well, with 3,542 students from reserved categories discontinuing their studies, out of which 2,066 belonged to the OBC category. Additionally, 1,068 students were from Scheduled Castes, and 408 were from Scheduled Tribes.

Dr. Subhas Sarkar, the Union Minister of State for Education, responding to a query in Lok Sabha, mentioned that students in higher education have diverse options and may choose to shift across institutions or change courses within the same institution. The reasons for migration or withdrawal primarily revolve around securing a seat in other departments or institutions of their preference or due to personal reasons.

Within the last five years, there were 442 dropouts in Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), comprising 163 from OBC, 188 from SC, and 91 from ST backgrounds.

Sarkar highlighted, "The Government has implemented various measures such as fee reductions, establishing more institutes, providing scholarships, and ensuring priority access to national-level scholarships to support students from financially underprivileged backgrounds in pursuing their education. Furthermore, schemes like 'waiver of tuition fees in IITs,' granting national scholarships under the Central Sector Scheme, and offering scholarships in Institutes are available for the welfare of SC/ST students."

The Minister informed the Parliament that institutes have established proactive mechanisms, including SC/ST students' cells, Equal Opportunity Cell, Student Grievance Cell, Student Grievance Committee, Students Social Club, Liaison officers, Liaison Committee, etc., to address issues faced by SC/ST students. Additionally, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued directives aimed at promoting equality and solidarity among students.

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