From Policy Provision to Educational Inclusion: Assessing the Implementation of Affirmative Support for Muslim Students in Indian Higher Education
Acceptance: 15/09/2026
Published: 27/10/2026
Abstract
This article examines the implementation gap between affirmative educational policy and substantive inclusion of Muslim students in Indian higher education. Rather than treating scholarships and other targeted interventions as ends in themselves, the study asks whether policy support is translated into timely access, participation, persistence, and academic progression. The paper uses a descriptive-analytical design based on secondary evidence from government reports, policy documents, higher-education statistics, and peer-reviewed scholarship. Attention is given to the Sachar Committee findings, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines for Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), Ministry of Minority affairs chemes, and recent empirical work on affirmative action and Muslim participation. The review identifies a recurring implementation chain: policy recognition is relatively strong, but outreach, documentation, timely disbursement, institutional support, regional capacity, and outcome monitoring remain uneven. The article also argues that religious identity should not be treated as a homogeneous explanatory category. Socio-economic status, gender, region, prior school type, language, caste location within Muslim communities, and first-generation status interact to shape higher-education trajectories. The study contributes a policy-implementation perspective by shifting attention from the number of schemes announced to the quality of delivery and the outcomes achieved. It proposes a measurable inclusion framework covering access, affordability, participation, retention, completion, academic support, campus climate, and transition to employment. The article concludes that a more effective policy architecture requires integrated data systems, single-window scholarship support, bridge programs, institutional SEDG mechanisms, gender-sensitive outreach, transparent monitoring and periodic outcome evaluation.
Keynote: Muslim students, higher education, affirmative action, policy implementation, SEDGs, NEP 2020.
Author Name:
Ikhlas Ahmad , Meenakshi Yadav , Vijay Anand , Alok Gardia
Pages:
495-508
DOI Number:
10.5281/zenodo.23523722
Country:
India
Orcid:
Full Article
Full Article
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Writer Name
Ikhlas Ahmad , Meenakshi Yadav , Vijay Anand , Alok Gardia
Pages
495-508
DOI Numbers
10.5281/zenodo.23523722
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