Background

Access to higher education remains very unequal because of the barriers that fall disproportionately on students belonging to low-income backgrounds. What is often framed in society as a lack of merit or aspiration is more importantly a question of access, information and structural inequality. If we look at it globally, only about 40% of young people are enrolled in higher education. The participation is even lower from the disadvantaged groups of people. In a lot of cases, higher education feels distantly imagined or is mediated through the systems that require at least some prior knowledge on how to access them. 

When it comes to first-generation learners, it can get really difficult to navigate the complex pathways to higher education. The processes which are related to applications, financial aid, and course selection are usually very fragmented and can become difficult to access without any guidance. This absence of reliable information ends up limiting their ability to pursue the opportunities which could otherwise be available to them. 

In India, these challenges become even bigger due to the increasing socio-economic disparities. The Gross Enrollment Ratio in higher education is only around 28.4%. This reflects on the fact that a large number of students are being left out from pursuing higher education. For a lot of the students who come from government schools or marginalized communities, higher education feels like a distant possibility instead of an actual career pathway to follow. 

Despite the scale of this issue, it is often only addressed through policy frameworks or institutional targets instead of actually examining it through the lens of lived experiences of people. It is important to understand that the challenge is more than just access to institutions. It is also about creating better access to information, support and opportunities for people who are constantly held back due to the larger systems of inequality.