Indian Higher Education

The present education system is an offshoot of the British system, introduced with the aim to educate the members of higher castes and to get their support to rule the country. Expectedly, education during the British time remained exclusive. Whenever, the British took any initiative to educate the downtrodden, the upper castes protested. Despite the hostile social environment and careful carelessness of the British, some of the downtrodden could access education. When the British left, education fell to the lap of descendants of the beneficiaries of British education who protected the interests mainly of their brethren from the same castes. Although, to undo the historic wrongs, the provision of reservations for SCs and STs in educational institutions was made in the Constitution, the same was implemented detrimentally. Education is known to have the power to transform a person into a national asset. Therefore, without providing equal opportunities for educating SCs, STs and OBCs it would be difficult to generate the required human resource to build the nation and make it progress and prosper.

These and other related issues are addressed in this volume.