Education falls under the concurrent list and thus, both Central and State Governments take various initiatives to ensure quality higher education in the country. There are 47 Central Universities, 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), 21 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), 31 National Institutes of Technology (NITs), 25 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), 7 Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and other Higher Education Institutions under the purview of Ministry of Education which cater to the education aspirations of all sections of the country including its tribal population. In order to encourage the access to higher education, various scholarships/ fellowship programmes have also been implemented by the Government for tribal students. Further, reservations in admission are provided for the Scheduled Tribe students in all Central Educational Institutions, as per the extant Reservation Policy of Government of India.

There are two Central Tribal Universities namely the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak and Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh, Vizianagram which provide avenues of higher education and research facilities primarily to the tribal population of the country.

The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.