Deprived Communities in Higher Education: Issues of Equality and Social Justice

India is a country of diversities. Diversities exist in widespread social and economic inequalities, culture, religion and its practices, languages and also in terms of natural resources. In the present century which is known as century of science and technology, in India there are many people own even multinational companies but the same time many groups of Indian population are still remain far away from the benefits of the primary needs of education and health. Scheduled caste and scheduled tribes are one of such deprived communities. After independence in 1947, India got a new Constitution which promised every citizen to promote opportunities to develop him/her in every field of life.

But even after sixty eight years of independence, the dream of members of these deprived communities remains incomplete. They are raising a voice for equality and social justice. This struggle many times observed as the struggle between haves and have-nots in Marxian terminology. These communities demanding for their fair participation in every fields of economy. They are also demanding for their participation in higher education for learners of their communities and faculties as well.

This paper is an attempt to study the status of the participation of children of deprived communities in higher education, faculty participation of deprived communities, government interventions to promote their participation, problems they are facing from inside and outside and suggestions to promote their participation.