13,000+ SC, ST and OBC students dropped out of IITs, IIMs in 5 years
As per the data, within IITs, a total of 2,066 OBCs, 1,068 SC, and 408 ST students withdrew. In the case of IIMs, the numbers stood at 163, 188, and 91 for OBC, SC, and ST students, respectively.
Over the last five years, more than 13,600 students from reserved categories have discontinued their studies at central universities, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), as revealed in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
In response to a query from BSP member Ritesh Pandey in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar provided the statistics in a written reply. Regarding Central Universities (CUs), Sarkar stated that a total of 4,596 OBC, 2,424 SC, and 2,622 ST students withdrew from their studies over the past five years.
STUDENT DROPOUT RATE
Within IITs, 2,066 OBCs, 1,068 SC, and 408 ST students opted out, while in IIMs, the corresponding figures stood at 163, 188, and 91 for OBC, SC, and ST students, respectively.
More than 13,600 students from reserved categories discontinued their education in central universities, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).
” In the higher education sector, students have multiple options, and they choose to migrate across institutions and from one course/programme to another in the same institution,” says Sarkar.
“The migration/withdrawal, if any, is mainly on account of securing seats for the students in other departments or institutions of their choice or on any personal ground,” he adds.
The minister conveyed that National Law Universities (NLUs) have been instituted under Acts enacted by the respective state legislatures, making them state universities. “No such data on dropout students of NLUs is maintained by the central government,” he adds, as reported by PTI.
In further response to the query regarding government actions to address the issue, Sarkar mentioned that the government has implemented several measures, including reducing fees, establishing additional institutes, providing scholarships, and granting priority access to national-level scholarships. These initiatives aim to support students with limited financial means in their pursuit of education.
“For the welfare of SC and ST students, schemes like ‘waiver of tuition fees in IITs’, grant of national scholarships under Central Sector Scheme, scholarships in Institutes etc. are also there,” he said.