Muslims lag behind SC/STs in higher education: Report

The Muslim community is lagging behind all other communities, including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, in aspects of higher education, according to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education conducted by the Ministry of Education.

A report in The Hindu, citing the the AISHE Survey 2020-21, shows that the Muslim community's enrolment in higher education declined by 8 per cent, ammounting to around 1,79,000 students, as compared to 2019-20.

Meanwhile, the enrolment of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in higher education has improved by 4.2 per cent, 11.9 per cent, and 4 per cent, respectively.

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The cause of the decline could partially be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic which forced students to drop out of school and look for employment in lieu of pursuing higher education, the report added.

The decline was seen particularly seen in Uttar Pradesh which saw a drop of 36 per cent in the enrolment of Muslim students in higher education courses. this was followed by Jammu and Kashmir at 26 per cent , Maharashtra at 8.5 per cent, and Tamil Nadu at 8.1 per cent. In Delhi, every fifth Muslim student failed to enrol for higher education after completing the Senior School Certificate Examination.

Muslims in Uttar Pradesh have a low enrolment rate (20 per cent) for higher education even though the state has reported an increase in the number of colleges. Kerala is reportedly the only state where 43 per cent of Muslims go for higher education

The OBC and SC communities account for 36 per cent and 14 per cent of the total enrolment in higher education, respectively, covering nearly 50 per cent of seats in universities and colleges, the report showed.