In a setback to students from SC, ST & OBC categories keen on research in social sciences in universities outside India, the new guidelines for the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) this year specifically excludes "topics/courses concerning Indian culture/heritage/history/social studies in India."
The National Overseas Scholarship selects students from SC, ST and landless agricultural labourer families to sponsor their masters and doctoral studies at some of the best universities outside India. It usually earmarks scholarships for 100 students, although this year it has been increased to 125.
The programme began around 1954 for mostly subjects covering science, technology and engineering, but was later expanded to include humanities and the social sciences in 2012.
The fresh circular issued by the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, weeks before the application deadlines close on March 31, is set to disrupt academic aspirations for several social science scholars from SC, ST, and OBC communities.
"The final decision as to which topic can be covered under such a category will rest with Selection-cum-Screening Committee of NOS," the fresh guidelines said.
"There are two factors which make us decide whether we should go abroad to study or not," says Raju Chalwadi, a fifth-year PhD candidate in Sociology at IIT Bombay and a member of the Ambedkarite Students' Collective. "Firstly our idol B.R. Ambedkar pursued his doctorate outside India. Secondly, from our own experience we know that faculties in Indian universities don't take students from reserved categories, and the Dalit community in particular, very seriously. It is much better to go abroad instead of working under a Savarna faculty here who don't think we have the pedigree to write a theory," says Chalwadi who is set to complete his PhD at the University of California under a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowship.
Chalwadi has never tried applying for NOS even though he knows its importance. "At the national level, this is the only scholarship of its kind to fund higher studies for SC/ST/ OBC students from low-income groups. Rest are either state-level or international bodies or private trusts. They are extremely competitive. It is not easy for us to make the perfect applications there. That is what makes NOS an important option available for receiving scholarships. But in the last five years, NOS hasn't filled the full 100 seats as prescribed by the government. And now they will restrict important subjects like history and culture. It will affect a lot of people who aspire to go abroad and do critical caste studies of Indian society," said Chalwadi.
R. Subrahmanyam, secretary at the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, had responded to the guidelines in the Indian Express as a rational one, arguing that the country has enough academic resources available for students specialising in Indian history, culture and heritage. "In any case for such subjects, the majority of the field work would have to be within the country and 3/4th of the time a student spends would be in India. So, we felt that the resources could be better spent on gaining expertise in other fields in foreign universities," the newspaper reported on February 22.
This argument does not cut ice for most students and faculty members. They also view this as a larger end-goal of National Education Policy 2020 which has an increased focus on foregrounding technical education. "They will not discourage science and engineering students. Because they want to create law-abiding citizens. Not students who question age-hold hierarchies. Closing of MPhil degrees was one of the first steps. Several students from the Dalit community, who never got a chance to study in elite institutions, had MPphil as a bridge to learn more about research and opt for PhDs," said Chalwadi.
The NOS has been inaccessible for other reasons. An applicant's family income limit cannot exceed Rs 8 lakh. This can exclude several bright candidates from the restrictive eligibility criteria by a whisker. Not to mention the grind of red-tape which deters the most persistent.
Last year, dearth of government assistance had propelled several students from marginalised communities to seek scholarships via crowdfunding. Sumeet Samos, popular anti-caste rapper, raised Rs 38 lakh in three hours of posting his fundraiser campaign for Oxford University on the Milaap platform on June 1. But not everyone is as popular as him. Neither can crowdfunding be a way around government responsibility.
