By Admin 
During the budget session in the Lok Sabha, an important question was asked on the status of Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Class (OBC) students in higher education. YSR Congress Party MP from Andhra Pradesh Dr D. Ravi Kumar asked the Education Minister whether the government has assessed the enrollment of SC, ST and OBC students in private higher education institutions (HEIs) considering the recent All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) 2022-23 data? Let us know what response the government gave in this matter and these figures show what is the number of students of these categories in private universities?
YSRCP MP asked these questions
Dr. D. Ravi Kumar asked that institution-wise details of seats reserved for SC/ST/OBC students and actual enrollment in private HEIs and Institutes of Excellence (IoEs) receiving financial or policy support from the government be provided. If the government has not made such an assessment, what are the reasons for it? Also, does the government plan to implement monitoring, disclosure or compliance measures related to grants, scholarships or IoE status to ensure that norms of reservation, equality and inclusion are followed? If yes, what are its details and time frame?
Minister of State for Education gave this answer
Dr. Sukant Majumdar, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, said in the Lok Sabha that education comes in the concurrent list of the Constitution. Therefore, it is the responsibility of both the Central and State Governments to increase the participation of all communities in higher education. The ministry is running several schemes, projects and programs which are in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The main objective of NEP 2020 is that no child should lose the opportunity of good education and success because of his congenital condition or background. This policy emphasizes on reducing the gap between social groups, giving more opportunities to women and improving learning outcomes.
How is the situation in higher education?
The minister said that the government had implemented the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act in 2006. Under this, 15% seats are reserved for SC, 7.5% for ST and 27% for OBC in central institutions. 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) has also been implemented from January 2019. 5% horizontal reservation is also given for Persons with Disabilities (PwBD). The central government has taken several steps to increase access to higher education. In these, special focus has been kept on women and weaker sections. These steps include reducing fees, creating more institutions, giving scholarships and giving priority to economically weaker students in national level scholarships, etc. The government runs scholarships and fellowships for all higher education institutions (HEIs), including eligible private institutions, to increase access to students from socially disadvantaged groups.
What do the figures say?
AISHE 2022-23 data shows that the share of SC/ST/OBC students in the total higher education enrollment in the country has increased significantly. Overall, the share of SC/ST/OBC has reached 60.8%, while the share of General Category (including EWS) is around 39%. The share of SC/ST/OBC in government institutions is 62.2%, while in private institutions also it is around 60%. This shows that apart from reservation, students of these categories are progressing on merit also.
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