May 9th, the all India survey recently released some new shocking statistics. Enrollment of Muslim students in higher education in India dropped by 8% during the academic year 2020-2021, with Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir experiencing the highest declines, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education 2020-21.
The report revealed that enrollment of Dalits, Adivasis, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in higher education increased, with the upper castes of India recording the highest growth rate.
Despite representing 15% of Indian society, Muslims only make up 4.6% of total enrollment, which is alarming given the findings of the Sachar Committee Report in 2006.
The Sachar Committee Report (SCR), submitted in 2006, showed that the condition of Muslims in education was comparable to, or even worse than, the country’s most backward communities.
Since then, their marginalization has only deepened. Initially, Muslims were slightly above Dalits, but Dalits overtook Muslims in education in 2017-18. In 2020-21, it was the turn of the Adivasis.
