Indians from marginalized groups subsidize Western Education Education News

Chennai, India – Harshali Nagrale is a first-generation student in the Dalit community in India who was first called “untouchables” because those who call themselves Hindus of high caste have suffered systemic persecution.

After extensive work in public policy and the education of marginalized communities, the 25-year-old wanted to pursue a more specialized education in this field at a foreign university.

While he managed to get into a master’s program in elections, campaigns and democracy at the prestigious Royal Holloway College in London, he hit a roadblock.

There was no way for the daughter of a retired mill worker and a housewife to pay a $ 54,000 fee.

Nagral’s attempt to secure scholarships imposed by the Indian government and some foreign organizations was unsuccessful.

It was then that he decided to try an unconventional method that has yielded results for poor students like him lately.

Nagral created a fundraising campaign on an online platform called Milaap, which he wanted to include in detailing his work and course details, and asked for financial support from the local community.

“I am the first woman to complete my studies in my hometown and family,” she says of her calls on the crowdfunding platform.

“I am a first generation lawyer and it is a proud moment for me to offer this course at this prestigious university.”

The movement worked. Nagral received a tremendous response from Dalit students, community groups and entrepreneurs who were studying abroad.

He was able to raise 67% of the target amount and is now in the process of obtaining a visa. He will finance his remaining living expenses through part-time work in the UK.

Opportunity for low-privileged aspirants

In recent days, trawls like #SumittoOxford and #sendAbhishektoCambridge have been on trend in Indian social networks as more than a dozen aspirants like Nagrale seek higher education grants at prominent Western universities.

In the past, the government, philanthropists, and non-governmental organizations have provided support to some deserving students from poor families, but these scholarships are limited and highly competitive.

Also, Indian banks do not provide student loans as long as they provide collateral for those seeking financial assistance.

Previously, a portion of the support provided by universities was intended for a student to enter as a scholarship and endowment. But the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has seen a decline in Western universities that provide support to foreign students.

In a scenario like this, crowdfunding has become an opportunity, especially for students from less privileged families or those who have lost a winning family member.

As more people begin to seek help, many activists and organizations in marginalized communities reject their campaigns by rethinking their requests or helping them find donors.

Activists said they believed they supported these students because education is the only way to empower them and improve the lives of their lives or communities.

Analyze community-related issues

Many students who are doing crowdfunding for education at Western universities say they plan to study courses related to the struggles in their communities.

Archana Rupwate, a 34-year-old Dalit lawyer based in the western metropolis of Mumbai, works on issues related to human rights and criminal justice.

He entered the Viadrina University in Frankfurt (Germany) with a master’s degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. But being the daughter of a farmer, her only option was to seek the help of strangers.

“Although I got admission offers from several reputable universities, I didn’t get the full scholarship,” he told Al Jazeera.

“So a friend of mine and a former colleague suggested that since I’ve already worked so much in the field of human rights, I should try crowdfunding.”

Rupwate created a fundraising campaign on a crowdfunding platform called Ketto, saying it managed to get 80% of its demands in “eight days”.

“I think most of the people who admired my work gave it to me – my clients and Dalit friends who are settled around the world and have achieved something in their lives and really want other students in the community to achieve their dreams,” he said.

Maknoon Wani, a 23-year-old student from Kashmir, India, says he wants to explore the effects of the internet and social media on feeding religious or ethnic hatred in society and found the right master’s course in Oxford. now he needs financial support.

“I was very worried about the internet stopping in our region in 2019 and 2020. My father had losses because he couldn’t run his retail business while I couldn’t go to online classes in my senior year of college, ”he told Al Jazeera by phone.

“I’ve gotten approval, but I don’t have the necessary funds, so I decided to create a fundraiser in Milaap,” he said.

But Wani has not been able to get the $ 58,000 amount yet.

“I can’t delay entry. I’m motivated to take the course and I hope I really get it, ”he said.

The rise of people looking for money

Indian crowdfunding platforms such as Milaap and Ketto say the number of campaigns launched by people seeking higher education support on their websites has risen significantly in recent years.

Milaap founder Mayukh Choudhury told Al Jazeera that his website received more than 11,000 education-related revenue in 2020, which is 7,000 years earlier. He said education is the second highest category of campaigns after medical emergencies.

“Although nonprofits and communities that raise funds to support low-privilege children’s education are commonplace, many young people are seeking financial support for higher education,” Choudhury said.

On June 3, Dalit musician and activist Sumeet Samos funded a whopping $ 50,000 for his education in Oxford in less than a day.

“The fundraising posted on our crowdfunding platform had a tremendous response,” Choudhury said, adding that all of his website campaigns were “verified by a dedicated team” and approved by relevant documents.

Mayukh Choudhury created the crowdfunding platform, Milaap [Courtesy of Mayukh Choudhury]

“In cases where funds to pay tuition fees are raised, relevant documents from organizations such as a letter of invitation, a letter of acceptance and other important documents are shared on the campaign page,” he said.

Namrata Pandey, an education consultant in New Delhi, says crowdfunding still cannot cover all the costs of education and living abroad.

“Many universities, especially in the U.S., fund students from marginalized communities if they bring an academically excellent, talented, and unusual approach,” he said.

‘Failure of government programs’

However, not everyone who makes a fundraiser gets the funds they need. Often, activism, the network of friends and benefactors, and the trajectory of the work done in the chosen field are cutting-edge.

While fundraising may seem like an easy way to raise money for education, putting your life story online can cost the world.

The ethics of crowdfunding for educational spending has also been questioned. Many believe that expensive education should not be ignored by people from communities, and question whether such expensive qualifications are worth it.

Some money-seekers have also suffered a backlash from social media, calling users “beggars,” “selfish,” and even hiding facts about themselves or their families.

Recently, Ansab Amir, a graduate of Aligarh Muslim University in northern Uttar Pradesh, applied for funding after getting a master’s degree in journalism from Goldsmiths University in London.

But the 22-year-old journalist decided to end the Milaap fundraiser and return the money raised to donors because he and his family had been “abused, harassed and threatened. [my] all of which damaged his mental health. ”

Dalit activist and writer Cynthia Stephen says most government grants seem to help marginalized communities, but students rarely get them.

“To deny access to a student from a marginalized community is to deny them human dignity and their constitutional right,” he told Al Jazeera, saying crowdfunding for higher education is a “good trend”.

“But it’s a measure of the failure of government programs to help marginalized communities.”