Launched in 2021, Project EduAccess is a non-profit initiative that aims to improve access to higher education for learners from marginalised communities in South Asia. 

 

Both in South Asia and elsewhere, higher education institutions (HEIs) are inaccessible to most potential learners due to entrenched fault lines of inequality in society. This lack of access may be the result of various barriers. Of these, cost barriers and other issues of access tethered to systemic discrimination may require broad-based policy interventions from governments. However, some other accessibility issues can be resolved through concerted volunteer efforts. At home (i.e., in South Asia), these include asymmetrical access to information about entrance tests and for-profit coaching and training institutes. For education abroad, these may include asymmetrical access to information about courses offered, lack of guidance about available opportunities, application processes and funding avenues, and other dispositional barriers. 

 

We aim to contribute towards lifting these barriers and improving inclusivity in HEIs. We do this primarily by offering free mentorship support to marginalised South Asian learners (particularly those disadvantaged inter alia by social position, economic ability, and geography) for entry into HEIs. In the long term, we also hope to lobby with public and private sector entities to make higher education truly accessible for all.

 

Our mission is to democratise access to higher education so that all individuals have quality educational opportunities, and in turn, better avenues for personal and professional growth. We believe that concerted effort in this direction is a steppingstone to an equal society.