Read on Twitter
Thread: It is well-known that IITs have failed to fill seats in Ph.D programmes as per reservation. Reason often cited is the lack of enough applicants from SC/ST/OBC communities. This story tries to debunk that argument.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/phd-entry-in-iits-tougher-for-students-from-marginalised-communities/article33824475.ece
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/phd-entry-in-iits-tougher-for-students-from-marginalised-communities/article33824475.ece
RTI data shows that the no of applicants were manifold higher than the minimum no of seats to be filled as per reservation. More importantly, the acceptance rate is inexplicably higher for General Category students than OBCs, SCs and STs.
3,279 Ph. D admissions made from 2015 to 2019 in 4 popular departments (Civil, Mech, Electrical and Computer) of 5 major IITs (Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Kanpur, Kharagpur) were analysed. See graph below. SC, ST students are nearly half as likely to get selected as GC students.
If seats are filled as per reservation, acceptance rate can be expected to go up for students from marginalised communities, particularly since different cutoff marks are used. This skew becomes even more difficult to explain as being normal since IIT Guwahati bucks the trend
Another way to see: Compare the proportion of diff category of students among applicants vs their proportion among those selected. The proportion of those from OBC, SC and ST communities must ideally go up from application to selection stage. But the reverse happens!
In IIT Guwahati
. Consequently, IIT Guwahati is the only major IIT that "comes closer" to filling the seats reserved for OBC, SC and ST.
. Consequently, IIT Guwahati is the only major IIT that "comes closer" to filling the seats reserved for OBC, SC and ST.
Professor @ajanthasub argues it to be a case of possible selection bias. IITs however, have, denied any bias.
A few persons connected to IITs but preferred to remain anonymous worked relentlessly in pursuit of this data for many months and in trying making IITs accountable on this issue. The story was possible only because of them.
