Indians from many oppressed groups apply for western education | Academic Issues

Chennai, India – Harshali Nagrale is a first-generation student from India’s Dalit region, formerly known as the “untouchables” who have been severely persecuted by Hindus who are known to be superior.

Having worked extensively in government agencies and academia in oppressed areas, the 25-year-old now wants to pursue a special education course at a foreign university.

When he was allowed to participate in a masters program in elections, campaigning and democracy at London’s famous Royal Holloway College, he hit the road.

There was no way the retired daughter and housewife could have paid $ 54,000.

Nagrale’s attempts to secure funding from the Indian government and other foreign agencies have failed.

That’s when he decided to try an unconventional approach that has yielded results to students with a problem like his recently.

Nagrale launched a fundraising campaign on the Milaap platform, outlining his role and what he wanted to get involved in, and appealing to the local community to help him.

“I am the first woman to complete my home schooling with my family,” she reads her appeal on a crowded platform.

“I am a first-time lawyer and it is a proud time to be educated at this prestigious university.”

The move worked. Nagrale received a surprising response from Dalit students studying abroad, local groups and human rights activists.

He was able to get 67% of what he wanted to achieve and is now using his visa. He also said that he would pay for the rest of his life working part-time in the UK.

The answer for the disadvantaged

In recent days, hashtags like #SumittoOxford and #sendAbhishektoCambridge have been making inroads in Indian theaters, with more than a dozen people like Nagrale seeking scholarships for well-known western universities.

In the past, some qualified students from poor families were supported by government, charitable and non-governmental organizations, but these courses are limited and highly competitive.

In addition, Indian banks do not provide student loans unless those who need financial assistance pay.

In the past, part of the scholarship came from universities where the student intended to be involved in relationships and donations. But the economic crisis resulting from the coronavirus epidemic has seen a decline in Western universities supporting foreign students.

In such cases, earning a living for many is an opportunity, especially for students from poor families, or those who have lost a high-income relative.

As more and more people seek help, human rights activists and organizations in low-income areas also assist in their work by repeating their requests or assisting them in finding support.

The plaintiffs said they support such students because they believe that education is the only way they can empower and change their lives, or the lives of their communities.

Read articles related to the area

Many students who earn a lot of money from their studies at Western universities say they want to study courses related to the difficulties in their communities.

Archana Rupwate, a 34-year-old lawyer in Dalit, who lives in western Mumbai, works on human rights and criminal justice.

She accepted the University of Viadrina in Frankfurt, Germany, to study for a Masters in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. But being a farmer’s son, his only recourse was to seek help from strangers.

“Although I was admitted to several prestigious universities, I did not receive all the courses,” he told Al Jazeera.

“That’s why one of my friends and an old friend told me that since I’ve already done a lot of human rights work, I should try to get the money back.”

Rupwate launched a fundraising campaign on a social security platform called Ketto, and said he had managed to raise 80% of what he wanted “in just eight days”.

“I think a lot of people who admire my work have given – my clients are Dalit friends who are established around the world and have achieved something in their lives and want other students in the community to achieve their dreams,” he said.

Maknoon Wani, a 23-year-old student from Kashmir-run India, says he wants to study the effects of the internet and radio broadcasts to promote religious or racial hatred between people, and has received a good education in Oxford, where he now lacks financial support.

“The closure of the internet in our area in 2019 and 2020 made me very nervous. “My father lost his job because he couldn’t run his business and I couldn’t take him online during my last year of college,” he told Al Jazeera by telephone.

“I’m welcome but I don’t have the necessary funds, that’s why I decided to make money in Milaap,” he said.

But Wani was unable to raise $ 58,000, however.

“I can’t go in again. I am very encouraged to take this course and I hope I can, ”he said.

Spike in people who want money

India’s repatriation platforms including Milaap and Ketto say the number of campaigns on their sites started by people seeking help for higher education has increased dramatically in recent years.

Milaap co-founder Mayukh Choudhury told Al Jazeera that his website had received more than 11,000 scholarships related to tuition by 2020, an increase from 7,000 a year ago. He also said that education is the second most important part of a campaign set up after a medical emergency.

“While non-profit organizations and communities that fund funding for disadvantaged children are common, many young people also need help to raise more money to pursue higher education,” Choudhury said.

On June 3, Dalit singer and human rights activist Sumeet Samos brought in $ 50,000 less than a day to study at Oxford.

“The fundraiser, located on our payroll platform, saw a surprising response,” said Choudhury, adding that all meetings on his page were “certified by a volunteer group” and approved the necessary documents.

Mayukh Choudhury built a high-income platform, Milaap [Courtesy of Mayukh Choudhury]

“When there is funding available, the necessary documents from agencies such as cover letter, receipt letter and other important documents are shared on the campaign page,” he said.

Namrata Pandey, an education consultant in New Delhi, says reimbursement will not cover all tuition and tuition fees.

“Most universities, especially in the US, provide funding for students from disadvantaged backgrounds if they have higher education, skills and have brought an extraordinary shape,” he said.

‘Failure of government programs’

However, not everyone who sets up a fundraiser can afford the necessary funds. In most cases, the reason for the decline is the following, the group of friends is the ones who want the best — a good reputation and a good career in the field of choice.

While fundraisers may seem like an easy way to raise money for education, posting your online profile for the public to see can cost money.

Financial management values ​​for most studies have also been questioned. Many feel that such an expensive education should not be pursued by people from oppressed areas, and they may wonder if such a degree is right.

Some money-seekers have also faced media problems, with users calling them “beggars”, “lovers” and criticizing them for concealing the realities of themselves or their families.

Recently, Ansab Amir, a graduate of Aligarh Muslim University in northern Uttar Pradesh, applied for funding after obtaining permission to pursue a masters program in journalism at Goldsmiths University in London.

But the aspiring 22-year-old journalist decided to withdraw his money from Milaap and return the money he had collected to the donors because he and his family “were tortured, tortured and threatened and [my] mental illness was ruined by all this ”.

Dalit activist and Dalit author Cynthia Stephen says many government studies have been designed to provide a positive image for those who have been discriminated against, but the students have not been able to access them.

“Denying a student from oppressed communities the opportunity to come deprives them of human dignity and their legal rights,” he told Al Jazeera, urging more people to pursue higher education “the best way.”

“But this also shows the failure of government programs to help the disadvantaged.”