Recommendations on Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) Empowering Deprived through Education NEP-2020: Insights and Inputs

It is very important for the educationists to play a crucial and participatory role in contributing ideas and shouldering into building a foundation of remarkable education. The NEP- 2020 while offering an exclusive section on Equitable and Inclusive education (EIE) seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long opportunities for all sections of society by 2030. In the higher education where in the students belonging to disadvantaged social groups usually face exclusionary treatment discrimination by some teachers and peers during their studies. As a consequence, it makes it difficult to survive in an institution where the lower caste students do not find adequate institutional support and social space and they are forced in dropping out of their studies. Here, also sometimes systematically filtered out with the arguments of merit criteria and quota policy. Its commitment to EIE is rooted in the global education development agenda of Gol- 4 of sustainable development goals (SDGs) which was adopted by India in 2015. The policy targets to provide quality education to students of all sections and particularly to those who have been historically marginalized and disadvantaged. Fortunately, it aims at achieving the target of gross enrolment ratio (GER) in the case of SCs and STs in NEP-2020 from 23% and 17.2% respectively to 50% by 2035. This target may be achieved by adopting the measures and strategic initiatives suggested in the present report