3542 SC, ST and OBC students have dropped out of IITs in 5 years

The Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar filed a written response in the Lok Sabha pertaining to drop out rates in central universities especially among the marginalised castes. 

4,596 OBC candidates, 2,424 SC and 2,622 ST students have been reported to have dropped out of Central Universities in the last five years. Among the various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) 2,066 OBC candidates, 1,068 SC and 408 ST are reported to have dropped out as per the response. In Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) 163 OBC, 188 SC and 91 ST candidates are reported to have dropped out. “In the Higher Education sector, students have multiple options and they choose to migrate across institutions and from one course/programme to another in the same institution. The migration/withdrawal, if any, is mainly on account of securing seats by the students in other departments or institutions of their choice or on any personal ground,” Subhas stated. 

IITs earlier requested for the results of examinations conducted Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to be announced before the announcement of the list of candidates selected for the M.Tech programs to ensure that the dropout rates are reduced in these courses.