SC student enrollment sees 44% increase from 2014 to 2022: NCBC

NEW DELHI : The student enrollment under the Scheduled Caste (SC) category grew by 44 per cent, from 4.61 million in 2014-15 to 6.62 million in 2021-22, the National Commission for Backward Class (NCBC) said on Saturday. Minority female student enrollment also witnessed a 42.3 per cent increase, from 1.07 million in 2014-15 to 1.52 million in 2021-22, according to the data shared by the NCBC.

In a statement issued on Saturday, NCBC chairman Hansraj Gangaram Ahir highlighted the ongoing efforts and significant achievements of the current government in safeguarding and enhancing the constitutional rights of Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Minority female student enrollment saw a 42.3 per cent increase, from 1.07 million in 2014-15 to 1.52 million in 2021-22, SC student enrollment grew by 44 per cent, from 4.607 million in 2014-15 to 6.623 million in 2021-22, with female SC enrollment rising by 51 per cent, the statement said. Enrollment of ST students increased by 65.2 per cent, from 1.641 million in 2014-15 to 2.71 million in 2021-22, with female ST enrollment increasing by 80 per cent, it added.

According to the statement, during the academic year 2020-21, a 27 per cent reservation for OBC students was implemented in Central Schools, resulting in 34,133 OBC children securing admissions. The same period saw the implementation of a 27 per cent reservation in Navodaya Schools, facilitating the admission of 19,710 OBC students. In 2021-22, a 27 per cent reservation in Sainik Schools allowed 1,026 OBC children to gain entry. MBBS admissions saw 1,662 OBC students in 2021, 1,804 in 2022, and 2,090 in 2023, the statement stated. Admissions for PG Medical courses included 2,663 OBC students in 2021, 3,032 in 2022, and 3,322 in 2023, it added.

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The NCBC data showed that from 2014-15 to 2020-21, there was a 32.6 per cent increase in OBC student enrollment in central universities, with female OBC enrollment rising by 40.4 per cent. In Institutes of National Importance, there was a 71 per cent increase in OBC enrollment, with female OBC enrollment more than doubling, the statement said.

The NCBC claimed that enrollment in higher education grew from 34.2 million in 2014-15 to 41.4 million in 2020-21, reaching 43.3 million in 2021-22, marking a 26.5 per cent increase. Female enrollment rose from 15.7 million in 2014-15 to 20.7 million in 2021-22, a 32 per cent increase, it said. The statement said that enrollment of OBC students surged by 45 per cent, from 11.3 million in 2014-15 to 16.3 million in 2021-22, with female OBC enrollment increasing by 49.3 per cent.