Number Theory: Unpacking educational disparity among Dalits

To be sure, in this article we use the term caste to refer to broader constitutional categories such as SCs, non-SC/STs

Caste-based inequalities in education are well-documented and often regarded as one of the primary reasons for continued socioeconomic disadvantage of the Scheduled Castes (SC). In theory, all subcastes within the SCs hold the right to reservation, and thus, one may argue, the experience at the subcaste level should not deviate much from the average educational outcomes of SCs as a group. To be sure, in this article we use the term caste to refer to broader constitutional categories such as

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The charts that matter

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  Has there been a convergence of in the educational status of SCs and non-SC/STs?

  A comparison of 1991 and 2011 census data shows that up to the level of secondary education there is educational convergence between states among both SCs and non-SC/STs. This trend, however, does not hold for post-secondary education since states with high initial levels experienced faster increases in higher education. While we do not have census data after 2011, a comparison of 2011-12 Employment Unemployment Survey and 2021-22 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data shows that such trends continue in the post-2011 period as well.
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  What about educational convergence at the SC sub-caste level?

  A cursory look at Chart 2 -- where each point represents a state-subcaste combination, such as, Mahars in Maharashtra, Chamars in Bihar, etc. – might tempt us to conclude that the convergence story holds at all levels except higher secondary and above. A careful reading however suggests that the fitted straight line is not the best approximation of the trend. Rather it resembles an inverted U relationship. Simply speaking, this means that SC subcastes that had either lower or higher share at these educational levels, have not experienced much change whereas those at the middle, have.
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  The North-South divide in educational experience of SC sub-castes

  What explains the weaker educational convergence across SC subcastes? Could regional differences, i.e., divergence in some states but convergence in some others, be a factor? Clubbing individual states at the level of regions such as the northern (Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar) and southern (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh), we find a stark difference. It is the southern states where we find convergence across sub-castes, and in sharp contrast, we find no evidence of convergence in the northern states for any educational levels. In fact, sub-castes in northern states start diverging from the level of secondary education.
• What explains this regional divide?

  The State of Working India report discusses why income is unlikely to be an explanation of the observed divide. In fact, referring to educational indices from Unified District Information System for Education Plus it argues that even differences in educational infrastructure can at best offer a partial explanation. It is entirely likely that there may not be a unique explanation at all, as such differences are likely to be caused by multiple historical, social and political factors that simultaneously shape the subcaste level experiences. These observations are bound to make one curious -- what has happened to this South-North divide over the past 12 years? Or, is there a similar divide for non-SC/ST subcastes as well? Unfortunately, we will not be able to answer these questions unless the government either publishes the subcaste-level data from the socio-economic caste census (2011) or carries out a fresh one, in addition to the long overdue population census itself. (Tamoghna Halder and Akshit Arora are Assistant Professor and Research Associate in the School of Arts and Sciences at Azim Premji University. The opinions expressed in this article are the view of the authors and do not reflect the views of the University.)