UPSC 2025: Muslim Representation In Dips To 2.5%, Trails Far Behind Population Share

The results of the Union Public Service Commission have disappointed Muslims, with only 26 candidates from the community featuring among the 1009 who made it into the elite services, an abysmal low of 2.5% compared to their 14.2 % share in India's population according to the 2011 census.

The percentage of Muslim candidates qualifying in UPSC has largely remained between 2-5%, and Non-Government Groups and the government have been campaigning to increase the community's participation in civil administration. However, after a slight uptrend, numbers have dipped again. In 2019, of the 829 finalists, 44 or 5.3% were Muslims. This declined to 29 (3.1%) out of 933 successful candidates in 2022. In the 2023 exams, the numbers rose to 51 (5%) Muslims among 1016 finalists.

Aamir Edresy, president of the Association of Muslim Professionals, which supports platforms that train and mentor aspirants for UPSC exams, blamed the low percentage of Muslim youths taking up university education as the main reason for the stagnation in numbers. "If you are unrepresented in higher education, your numbers will be low in civil services," said Edresy. "The quality of education is also an issue, and most Muslim candidates lack a strong foundation that will help them in a competition." 

The Gross Enrollment Ratio of Muslims in higher education is among the lowest of all major religious communities, said Sudhanshu Mishra, a faculty member at IAS Next, a coaching centre for IAS aspirants. Another reason, said Mishra, was the low representation of Muslim women aspirants to the civil services.  "We analysed the results in 2022 and found that the number of women Muslim aspirants was low. This could be because of the reluctance by families to send women for higher education," said Mishra. "In a class of 100 students, you’ll often find only 7–8 Muslim girls," noted Mishra, adding that those who appear in competitive exams tend to outperform due to their sincerity and focus. 

Others felt that the COVID pandemic and the subsequent economic distress among families caused a decline in the number of Muslims aspiring for university education. "The effect of the lockdown lasted for four to five years," said Edresy.

Salman Ghazi, managing director of Iqra Education Foundation, which provides religious curriculum to nearly 200 regular schools run by Muslim managements, said that the low participation of Muslims in higher education has its roots in the partition of the country. "There was discrimination against Muslims in the aftermath. The tendency among young men was that higher education was a waste of time and money because they faced odds while aspiring for government jobs," said Ghazi.

However, a Maharashtra cadre officer from the 1979 IAS batch said that low participation of Muslims in the exams, rather than discrimination, was the cause for their low representation in the services. "As a Muslim, I never faced discrimination. Muslims were around 3.5% of the successful candidates at that time. I do not know whether it is true today, but the percentage of Muslim candidates was lower. However, the success rate for Muslims was higher. If there was discrimination, this would not be the case," said the former bureaucrat. 

There is also a consensus that the community was turning to higher education in larger numbers. "Globalisation has reduced religious discrimination, and there are many Muslims in the corporate world in India. I think there has been a paradigm shift in the attitude to higher education. Wealthy Muslims are establishing schools. Even the Ulema - the clergy - is promoting schools rather than madrassas. The change is gradual. A 30 to 40-year  time span is not enough for a community to change," said Ghazi.

On April 21, Member of Legislative Assembly from Mumbadevi, Amin Patel, wrote to the Minister of Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, to restart the Allied Services Coaching and Guidance Centre at Haj House near Crawford Market. The centre, started in 2009, provided coaching and training facilities for students from minority communities aspiring to join the IAS and allied services. The centre helped 25 students to clear the exams before it shut down in 2023.  Adiba Anam Asfaque Ahmed from Yavatmal in Vidarbha, who ranked 142, had trained at the Haj House centre in Mumbai before it was closed. "If a young woman from a small town can make it to the top ranks, it shows there is hidden talent in the community. If the government, NGOs, and social organisations work together, the percentage of Muslims in the services will increase," said Patel.

Mishra called for greater institutional support, targeted scholarships, and mentoring programmes to bridge the gap for Muslim aspirants.

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