How India’s caste system limits diversity in science — in six charts https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-023-00015-2/index.html By Ankur Paliwal
Data show how privileged groups still dominate many of the country’s elite research institutes. Mirroring India’s caste system of social hierarchy, the most privileged castes dominated white-collar professions, including roles in science and technology. But the historically privileged castes — the ‘General’ category in government records — still dominate many of India’s elite research institutions. Above the level of PhD students, the representation of Adivasis and Dalits falls off a cliff.
An Adivasi PhD student from a science department at Delhi University, for instance, told Nature that in 2018, when she approached a privileged-caste professor to be her supervisor, he responded that she was a “quota candidate” and could find a supervisor anywhere.
Gautam and other scientists told Nature that sometimes privileged-caste professors don’t provide the extra mentoring that students from underprivileged backgrounds might need — leading some to quit before completing their PhDs. “It’s a tactic,” Gautam says.
98% of faculty at top 5 IITs are upper-caste, reservation not implemented, says Nature article https://theprint.in/india/education/98-of-faculty-at-top-5-iits-are-upper-caste-reservation-not-implemented-says-nature-article/1312713/ institutions. Based on RTI and other govt data, report by journalist finds there is a low level of representation of both students & faculty from ST/SC communities in elite science Mohana Basu
13 January, 2023