From thanda to EFLU: First-gen learner bats for inclusivity in premier institutions

Hyderabad: Hailing from an obscure tribal hamlet, Vikas Porika has defied odds to become a student leader at the prestigious English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Hyderabad. Incidentally, it is the same university which had denied admission to him in the MA Spanish programme last year owing to his activism in student politics.

Vikas is a Scheduled Tribe (ST, Lambada) from Subbakapally thanda in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district. In November, he became the president of EFLU’s Students Union, the first student from the Lambada community to ever hold the post at South Asia’s premier language universities.

As a first-generation learner from his village, the 23-year-old student wants to see youth like him get an education. He said institutions like EFLU should be more inclusive as the premier institution has only two students from the surrounding tribal areas and bastis. Calling for the admission process to be simplified, Vikas said the current system discourages many students from the marginalized communities from applying here.

“Education shouldn’t be a privilege. It should be a fundamental right that reaches every thanda and every basti,” Vikas said.

Growing up in Subbakapally thanda and speaking Lambada, Vikas said he saw a new world in Hyderabad when he joined EFLU in 2019. He said it was hard for him to keep up in the class as he struggled to understand lectures and write effectively. Recalling the transition to urban education, Vikas said, “the urban landscape is not just physically different but economically demanding.”