From Promise to Precarity: A Critical Review of SC/ST Scholarship Schemes in India

This article critically examines the implementation and outcomes of Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in India. Despite normative commitments to social justice, persistent governance gaps—including erratic funding, delays in disbursal, digital exclusion and administrative inefficiencies—undermine these schemes’ transformative potential. Analysis of government data, audit reports and field accounts reveals declining allocations, mismatches between budgeted and actual expenditures, and inconsistent coverage, especially for first-generation learners and children of sanitation workers. The article highlights the problematic merger of targeted schemes with general scholarships and critiques the assumption that mechanisation initiatives like NAMASTE can replace caste-conscious interventions. Drawing on Amartya Sen’s capability approach, it argues that delayed or inadequate support restricts substantive freedoms and reinforces structural inequities. The article concludes with policy recommendations for needs-based budgeting, rights-oriented delivery, strengthened grievance redressal and institutional accountability to uphold educational justice for SC and ST students.