‘…coming as I do from the lowest order of the Hindu society. What is the value of education. The problem of raising the lower order is deemed to be economic. This is a great mistake. The problem of the lower order in India is not to feed them, to cloth them and to make them serve the higher classes as the ancient order of this country. The problem of the lower order is to remove from them that inferiority complex which has stunted their growth and made them slaves to others, to create consciousness of significance of their lives for themselves and for the country of them they have been cruelly robbed by the existing social order. Nothing can achieve this purpose except this spread of higher education this in my opinion the panacea of our social troubles.’
Our focus is on the underprivileged communities, such as the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST),
who constitute 25.2% of the country’s population but are only 20% of those who are educated, as per Census 2011. Fee hikes and budget cuts in the education sector make the dream of education even more inaccessible for these communities.
Aims and Objects of Trust
- Primary objective of the said foundation is to promote higher education among girls from the underprivileged or disadvantaged groups of the society, especially from SC/ST communities.
- To provide financial aid to students especially girls students from the deprived sections of the society to help them in pursuing their studies in India or abroad.
- To help connect donors with the needy candidate to pursue higher education in India and abroad.
- To help girls to pursue vocational education for self-employment.
- To provide such financial aid to other trusts, institutions engaged in the same objectives.
- To perform all other acts that may be necessary for the fulfilment of the aims and objectives of the foundation.
Need of such foundation
Stand with Us to Uplift the Educational Dreams of Underprivileged Girls
Dear Friends,
We are on a mission to change the educational landscape of India and we need your help.
Our foundation is built on the vision of the great Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who said, “*…coming as I do from the lowest order of the Hindu society. What is the value of education. The problem of raising the lower order is deemed to be economic. This is a great mistake. The problem of the lower order in India is not to feed them, to cloth them and to make them serve the higher classes as the ancient order of this country. The problem of the lower order is to remove from them that inferiority complex which has stunted their growth and made them slaves to others, to create consciousness of significance of their lives for themselves and for the country of them they have been cruelly robbed by the existing social order. Nothing can achieve this purpose except this spread of higher education this in my opinion the panacea of our social troubles*.”
Our focus is on the underprivileged communities, such as the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), who constitute 25.2% of the country’s population but are only 20% of those who are educated, as per Census 2011. Fee hikes and budget cuts in the education sector make the dream of education even more inaccessible for these communities.
The Stark Reality
According to the Unified District Information on School Education (UDISE+) 2019-20 report, the dropout rates hit alarming levels at the secondary stage with more than 10% students dropping out from all categories. Again, boys belonging to the ST categories recorded the highest dropout rate with 25.51% followed by girls from the same category which recorded 22.49%. The data also shows that more than 24% of ST students dropout at the secondary level.
The dropout rates were also high for SC, OBC and general category students, as indicated below:
**The Impact on the Marginalized**
These budget cuts and fee hikes have had a direct impact on students, particularly those from marginalized sections. The Economic Times reported that 1/4th of tribal and 1/5th of Dalit students quit class IX and X in 2019-20, compared to one among general category students. The all-India proportion of dropping out in classes IX and X stands at 16.1.
**The Potential Solution**
- The Post Matric Scholarship scheme, a brainchild of the great visionary Dr. Ambedkar, was initiated with the intention of providing financial assistance to the Scheduled Caste students for their post-matriculation or post-secondary education. Sadly, the number of beneficiaries for this scholarship fell by 43 percent between 2016-17 and 2018-19. The funds allocated by the government for education have also sharply fallen.
- The pre-matric scholarship for the SC category continuously fell between 2015-16 and 2019-20; for OBCs, it either stayed stagnant or increased marginally. The number of students availing fell from 2.4 million in 2015-16 to 2.2 million in 2017-18, an 8.3% fall.
- Despite increased demand, the post-matric scholarship scheme for SC students saw a decrease in the number of beneficiaries from 5.8 million in 2016-17 to 3.3 million in 2018-19, a 43% reduction.
Fellowships and Scholarships for PhD and post-doctoral courses have constantly declined since 2014-15 – from Rs 602 crore to Rs 283 crore in 2019-20 for SC students and from Rs 439 crore to Rs 135 crore for ST students. Similarly, allocation for higher education funds for SCs and STs has reduced by 23 per cent in UGC and 50 per cent in IGNOU, it stated.
Minority scholarships far fewer than needed
The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MOMA) provides financial aid to minority students under three major scholarships schemes–pre-matric, post-matric and merit-cum-means. Under these, around 7 million scholarships can be disbursed to poor students from six notified minority communities–Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis For the academic year 2018-19, the ministry received 7.3 million fresh applications and 3.5 million applications for renewal of pre-matric scholarships. Of these, scholarship has been disbursed to 2.9 million fresh applicants (40%) and 2.7 million applications for renewal (77%). In the case of post-matric scholarships, fresh and renewal combined, the number of minority applicants was 2 million, but only 680,000 (34%) received the money.
Under the merit cum means scholarship, provided for professional and technical courses, the ministry has approved scholarships to 120,000 students in 2018-19, which is only 36% of the total applications.
This is the stark contrast to Dr Ambedkar’s fundamental educational thought when he said that, “Education is something which ought to be brought within the reach of everyone.”
**How Can You Help? **
- We believe that together, we can reverse this trend and ensure that every underprivileged girl gets the education she deserves. We appeal to you to join us in our mission to empower these girls with education and help them break free from the shackles of poverty and social inequality.
Your contribution will help us provide scholarships, fund quality education, and support these girls in their journey to a brighter, more promising future. Let us stand together to uphold the guiding principle of our Constitution, as stated in Article 46, to promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, particularly of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. In a country that has 10% inflation in education sector, Dalits can not access education without assistance from the Government. Both Central and State Governments need to effectively pursue policies in this regard. But we do not see this happening, their indifference towards education of the marginalized is most visible in their budgetary provision.
we encourage you to consider becoming a member of the foundation and be a committed donor who pledges a desired amount periodically. This will not only help us plan our activities more effectively but also enable us to assist a larger number of deserving students.
The foundation guarantees total transparency and fairness in all its endeavours, ensuring the following:
- All expenditures including assistance to students and other administrative charges shall also be shared with the members.
- All accounts shall be duly audited and shared
- All donations to the foundation shall be through banking channels. No cash donations shall be accepted.
Let’s make Dr. Ambedkar’s vision a reality. Let’s work together to create a society where education is not a privilege but a right.
Stand with us. Be a part of this mission. Because every girl deserves a chance at a better tomorrow.