Support higher education of first generation learners through scholarship

Higher education remains by and large inaccessible to India’s underserved communities – Dalits and Adivasis and other marginalized groups. Data from the NSSO 2014, indicates that enrolment in college education for Dalits is 20.8% and for Adivasis, is 15.7 %. Their presence is even bleaker in premier universities as out of 10 top universities in India students from dalit and tribal groups are underrepresented in 7 universities (All India Survey on Higher Education 2018-19).

Higher education is a tool for social transformation and plays an important role in enhancing the knowledge and skills of people, and is a primary engine of upward mobility. But generations of dalit, adivasi, nomadic tribes and other marginalized communities remained deprived of higher education and its benefits. It resulted in limited career opportunities and a lack of their representation in influencing leadership positions in different spectrums.

Eklavya’s mission is to facilitate successful career transition of 20000 first generation students through admission into world-class higher education institutes by 2030.

We recognise inequality in access to quality higher education due to financial limits. Thus it is important to encourage these students through scholarship support to pursue higher education. This scholarship program provides need-based financial support to socially and economically marginalized students to cover their college fees and living cost to complete their undergraduate education. Through this fundraiser, we aim to support 100 first generation students to continue and complete their higher education through scholarship support.

Eklavya India Foundation is working to improve access to quality higher education among first generation students from marginalized communities. It provides career awareness, exposure, mentoring and coaching to enable students to pursue higher education from top universities and open their pathways for modern careers. In the last 5 years over 700 students secured admission into top universities like TISS, Azim Premji University, IITs, Delhi University, Pune University, and Central Universities. Over 300+ alumni have been placed in the white-collar jobs multiplying their family incomes by 8-10X and bringing their families out of poverty.