JOIN USDecrease in SC students pursuing higher edn
He was speaking at the 120th birth anniversary celebrations of B R Ambedkar and pratibha puraskar programme organised by Mysore District and City Scheduled Caste Citizens Welfare Association at Maharaja’s College Centenary Hall here on Sunday.
Shivashankaramurthy said while 15 per cent of students pursue higher education in the country, only 1.2 per cent Scheduled Caste students sign up for post graduation.
This means that for every 100 students, only one SC student pursues higher education. Even though the country ranks third in the world in terms of education, it is yet to reach out to the discriminated sections of the society, he added.
Similar to Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar also dreamt of all strata of the society having equal political, economic and social status. However, even after 64 years of gaining Independence, it is yet to become a reality.
The responsibility is on the younger generation to make such a dream come true. It is possible only if youngsters make a mark in education, he said. The Nobel prize has a history of 110 years and the USA has bagged 160 medals for contribution in various fields. Of these, 70 alumni of Columbia University have been given Nobel prize. Columbia University has awarded honorary doctorate to Ambedkar. This shows the impact that Ambedkar has created across the world due to his work, he said.
The awareness campaign about anti-corruption has just begun across the country. We have made tremendous progress in industries, technology and become self-reliant in food due to green revolution. Despite all this, the country has a large number of illiterates. More than 26 per cent of the population are yet to get two square meals a day.
Sanitation is yet to reach various parts of rural India. The country has to work towards improving such conditions, he added. Corrupt Scheduled Caste officers are less in number. Apart from reading books, students should also know the trends in the world.
They should avail the opportunities being provided without flouting the law, he added. Journalist Rajashekar Koti, chairman of Bahadur Institute of Management Sciences D Anand, M Rudraiah of Yuvaraja College, association president Chikkaveeraiah, secretary S Madaiah and others were present.