Unequal access to higher education: Patterns and determinants

Hyderabad: Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav lecture delivered on 'Unequal access to higher education: Patterns and Determinants' at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies, in Hyderabad on Tuesday. The lecture was chaired by Prof Dilip M Nachane, Chairman, Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Hyderabad.

Prof Thorat opined that the National Education Policy talks about equity and inclusiveness in higher education but there is no mention of programmes and schemes to achieve equity and inclusiveness. With the help of data he analyzed the nature of inequality in higher education in terms of economic group, social group (SC,ST, BC, Muslim) and social group by income and occupation.

The causes for inequality are identified as low income level, social identity, education of the head of the household, role of endowment and caste discrimination. His analysis showed that the enrolment rate is much low for low castes than the high castes. He added that the presence of graded inequality in education attainment is a unique feature of the caste systemwhere the educational attainment of middle caste is lower than high caste but better than the low caste.

The inequalities in ownership of wealth and income and caste discrimination faced by SC, ST, Muslims are the main reasons for low education attainment among the low caste and low-income groups. He also highlighted the discrimination on the basis of gender and ethnicity which escalates the dropout rates based on empirical evidence. He is of the opinion that these inequalities in higher education have to be given utmost priority.

Prof E Revathi, Director of the Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Prof R Limbadri, chairman of Telangana State Council of Higher Education, Prof C H Hanumantha Rao and several distinguished academicians and scholars from various institutes of repute were present and participated in the lecture.