In Past 8 Years, More Women Enrolled in Higher Studies Than Men

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Why in the News?
• About All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) Report
• Key Highlights of the AISHE Report 2021-22

Why in News?

• In the last eight years, more women have enrolled in higher education compared to men, according to the 2021-22 All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) released recently.

About All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) Report

• The All-India Survey on Higher Education is the main source of comprehensive statistics on the Higher Education scenario in the country.
• It is published by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry has been conducting All India Survey on Higher Education since 2011.
• The survey covers all higher educational institutions located in Indian Territory and imparting higher education in the country.
• The survey collects detailed information on different parameters such as student enrollment, teacher’s data, infrastructural information, financial information etc.
• The report is based on voluntary uploading of data by institutions of Higher Education listed in aishe.gov.in portal.
  • The responsibility for the accuracy of the data rests with the Nodal Officers of concerned Institution.

Key Highlights of the AISHE Report 2021-22

• The AISHE report 2021-22 was conducted with reference period as academic session 2021-22.
• A total of 1,168 Universities/University level Institutions, 45,473 Colleges and 12,002 Stand Alone Institutions were registered in AISHE 2021-22.
• Of them, 1,162 Universities, 42,825 colleges and 10,576 Stand Alone Institutions have responded in the survey.
• Number of Institutions:
  • In all, 341 Universities/University level institutions have been established since 2014-15.
  • Out of 1168 Universities registered, 685 are Government managed (Central Govt. 240, State Govt. 445), 10 are Private Deemed (Aided) and 473 are Private (Un-aided).
  • There are 17 Universities exclusively for Women. It was 11 in 2014-15.
  • In 2021-22, there are 18 Open universities (1 Central University, 16 State Universities and 1 State Private University).
• Student Enrolment in Higher Education:
  • Total enrolment in higher education has increased to nearly 4.33 crore in 2021-22 from 3.42 crores in 2014-15.
  • Female enrolment in Higher Education increases to 2.07 crore (32% increase since 2014- 15).
  • The total number of pass-outs has increased to 1.07 Crore in 2021-22 as against 95.4 Lakh in 2020-21.
• Caste-wise enrolment
  • Caste breakdown of the total enrolled students in 2021-22:
    • 15.3% belong to Scheduled Caste,
    • 6.3% belong to Scheduled Tribe,
    • 37.8% are from Other Backward Class and
    • remaining 40.6% students are from other communities.
  • Enrolment of Scheduled Caste students has increased to 66.23 lakh in 2021-22 from 58.95 lakh in 2020-21.
  • In case of Scheduled Tribe students, the enrolment has increased to 27.1 lakh in 2021-22 from 24.12 lakh in 2020-21.
  • The enrolment of Scheduled Tribe Female students has increased to 13.46 lakh in 2021- 22 from 12.21 lakh in 2020-21.
  • The Minority enrolment has increased to 30.1 lakh in 2021-22 from 21.8 lakh in 2014-15.
• State-wise enrolment
  • The top 6 States in terms of Student Enrolment are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan.
    • They constitute 53.3% of the total Student Enrolment.
  • Number of foreign students
    • Total number of foreign students enrolled in higher education is 46,878. In 2021-22, highest share of foreign students is from Nepal (28%), followed by Afghanistan (6.7%), United States (6.2%), Bangladesh (5.6%), UAE (4.9%), and Bhutan (3.3%).
  • Teaching Staff in Higher Education:
    • The total number of faculty/teachers in 2021-22 are 15.98 lakh, of which about 56.6% are male and 43.4% are female.
    • Number of teachers has increased by 46,618 in 2021-22 over 2020-21.

Q1) What is the role of the University Grants Commission in India?

The primary objective of the UGC is to ensure the maintenance of standards and the enhancement of quality in higher educational institutions throughout India. The UGC holds a pivotal role in shaping India's higher education landscape.

Q2) When was the name of the Ministry of Human Resource Development changed to the Ministry of Education?

The NEP 2020 replaced the existing National Policy on Education, 1986. Under the NEP 2020, the name of the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD) was changed to Ministry of Education (MoE).

Source: More women enrolled in higher studies than men in 8 years: AISHE report | AISHE.GOV.IN