User:Pal Rajendra/Temp/Phd-suk.doc

Title:Changing Aspirations, Challenges and Opportunities before Dalits in Higher Education Today: A Case Study of Four Universities in the National Capital Region

India’s dalits constitute one of the uniquely marginalized and most oppressed communities in the world. For centuries they were economically, politically, as well as socially kept on the bare margins of society. Even education among the SCs and STs was kept minimal in most regions of the country for centuries. In this light, it is not surprising that very few dalits were able to reach institutions of higher education till modern times. This situation has begun to change recently with special drives under taken by both central and state governments to fill up the constitutionally mandated seats for them in the said institutions. However, dalit students continued to face immense challenges and sometime have even low aspirations regarding careers and social standing etc.

Although several scholarly works have been published on working and living conditions of dalit communities in different regions of India yet, very little research has been done on the problems and aspirations of dalit students in institutes of higher education till today. This study proposes to shed light on the changing aspirations, challenges and opportunities before dalits in higher education today through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods of research.

The objectives of the study are:-

 * 1) To study the challenges, problems, aspirations and opportunities for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in higher education and their awareness regarding reservation policies and various programmes that the government have taken for their welfare.
 * 2) To study the impact of medium of instruction offered to them in higher education and the type of institutions private or general and the courses that draw the large number of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes including women.
 * 3) To study in comparative perspective the government’s plan for reservation to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in private educational institutions with public institutions.
 * 4) To analyze the recent debates/ policies/ programmes of inclusions and their impact on the status of the SC/ST students and the emerging international influence over the changing policies in higher education in India.

Methodology:-

The present study will be both descriptive and analytical in nature. My study will be based on comprehensive field work including detailed semi structured interviews and data collection from structured questionnaires and also on content analysis of various government documents like annual reports on Higher Education from the University Grant Commission, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government Of India, SCs/STs Commissions, National Knowledge Commission, National Language Commissions, Yashpal Committee Repot, World Development Reports on Higher Education and Five Year Plan Documents.