Abstract

Modern education in India was introduced by the British. Since then, both school and higher education have witnessed manifold expansion, especially in the post-Independence phase of national reconstruction. And yet the position of higher education in India is still far from adequate, not only in terms of numbers but also, and more importantly, in quality. The existing higher educational institutions are scarce resources and hence entry to these is competitive. Those who compete for entry into higher educational institutions, though in principle treated as equal in terms of opportunities, suffer greatly on account of disadvantages such as colour, ethnicity, status, class, sex, etc. The Indian Constitution has tried to address this problem with special provisions under what is generally termed ‘protective discrimination’. This chapter aims to explore and examine the status of tribal communities in the context of higher education in India.