Before independence, only a handful of backward people received higher education. They were denied education in most of the educational institutions. Even after getting admission, many could not complete their studies due to financial disadvantages. Those who get the best education are the ones who rise to the top. People belonging to Backward, Dalit and Scheduled Tribes are not behind anyone intellectually. However, for centuries they were denied the option and opportunity for education. The reality was that the upper classes had enslaved them to do only the jobs that required physical exertion. For this, the man-made condition of caste discrimination was cleverly used.

They were also troubled by the thought of who would be there to fetch water and cut firewood for them if the people from the lower strata of society got educated and reached a higher level. However, things changed with the advent of democratic governments. Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes received constitutional reservations in education and employment. This has given these groups great progress and advancement during the last seven decades. The fact is that the posterity of these classes now is not only behind none in education and ability but often ahead. The reservation they get is not a benevolence from anyone but a right they get in return for being denied education for centuries.

However, it is unfortunate that the majority of the forward groups have not yet been able to accept any of this. Some government figures released by the Minister of State for Education Dr. Subhas Sarkar in Parliament yesterday are proof that this discrimination is still being practiced by the administrators and faculty of higher education institutions. According to this, it is clear that 13,500 students from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBC categories have dropped out of Central Universities, IITs and IIMs in the last five years.

Those who reach such institutions through reservation are generally treated as second-class citizens. Students belonging to this category often have to face severe caste discrimination. Rohit Vemula, who was a research student at the University of Hyderabad, committed suicide as his stipend was blocked, leading to protests across India. The figures of those who dropped out of their studies have come after reports of students committing suicide due to covert and overt caste discrimination in Mumbai, Delhi and Madras IITs.

During 2014-2021, 122 students committed suicide in such higher education institutions. Of these, 41 belonged to backward classes, 24 belonged to Scheduled Castes and three belonged to Scheduled Tribes. Most of the dropouts were admitted to central universities. 4,596 from OBCs, 2,424 from Scheduled Castes and 2,622 from Scheduled Tribes dropped out. The central government should conduct a serious study on this. A strong mechanism should be put in place to prevent caste discrimination in campuses.