Students and faculty members from socially disadvantaged sections in educational institutions will now have the opportunity to share their campus experiences and challenges.

The Niti Aayog, the apex policy think tank of the Union government, has introduced a survey across educational institutions, including at the IITs and IIMs, to assess the need for mentorship.

Last week, the education ministry shared Google Forms with institutions, to be passed on to teachers and students. They have been requested to fill in the forms and submit them by September 26. The survey will keep the identity of respondents confidential.

Some of the questions in the survey asks students to share if their aspirations and career plans changed during the course of study, and if they had, what factors influenced the shift.

The students are expected to share how they rate their performances compared to their general-category peers. They will have to choose from options like excellent, good, average, poor, and very poor. One question asks if the students face challenges in adjusting to academic life in the institution. In case they face challenges, what are their expectations from a mentor, it asks.

Two faculty members and a student said that the survey was significant since it would give a more accurate picture of caste-based discrimination and vulnerability of the SCs, STs and OBCs.

"Discrimination is a regular affair on campuses. Whenever there are complaints and the government asks institutions, the heads try to give misleading information. The government does not take any further steps. The cases are closed most of the time, though the students or the faculty members from deprived sections continue to face discrimination.

"Now this survey has given the opportunity to the students and the faculty members to share their concerns directly with the Niti Aayog," said a faculty member of a national institute.

Anil Wagde, an alumnus of IIM Calcutta and a votary of social justice, said the IITs and IIMs do not implement reservation in recruitment in the name of merit. They do not have people to mentor students. He shared data obtained through RTI from IIM Ahmedabad, showing there was just one faculty member from the OBC community, while SCs and STs were not represented in the faculty despite quotas.

"The Niti Aayog survey will demonstrate if the SC/ST/OBC students were doing well in institutions and if there were mentors available. My understanding is that the SC/ST/OBC students face a lot of offensive comments and discrimination in various areas, including assessment. The students do not get proper mentors because the institutes do not recruit SC/ST/OBC faculty members," Wagde said.