New Delhi, September 28
New findings have shown that more and more school students are now entering colleges and universities and enrolment is improving across gender. SC, ST enrolment is however stagnant and students’ interest in research is dipping.

The All India Higher Education Survey 2010-2011 conducted by the Ministry of HRD reveals that India is on track to achieve the goal of 30 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (percentage of college-going students in colleges) by 2020 and could overshoot the target. The GER of 15 per cent in 2009 has now gone up to 18.8, with the female GER improving from 12.7 per cent to 16.5 in three years.

Male GER is better at 20.9 per cent; it was 17.1 per cent in 2009-2010.

As against 2.07 crore students aged 18 to 25 who were in college three years ago, 2.66 crore are enrolled in colleges and universities across India as of today as against a total college going population of 14.1 crore. This marks an addition of 59 lakh students in three years — a raise HRD Minister Kapil Sibal attributed to the growing interest in education and improved access.

The survey also indicates a decline in research interest among students. In 2009, 0.44 per cent of entire enrolment in higher education was at PhD and MPhil level. That is down to just 0.34 per cent now.

Of 2,07,40,740 students in colleges and universities in 2009, 92,211 were enrolled in research courses. Today, out of 2,66,50,953 students in colleges, 90,568 are pursuing PhDs and M Phils. Sibal admitted, “The next focus is going to be quality. Without quality, we can’t use our demographic dividend to our advantage.” The findings come when China is surging ahead with PhDs.

Back home, bulk enrolment of 74.4 per cent is at undergraduate level, up by 8 per cent from 2009 when the corresponding percentage was 66. This is followed by 13.4 per cent enrolment at diploma level and 10 per cent at postgraduate level. The data has been submitted online by 448 out of 621 universities, 8,123 out of 27,468 colleges and 4,076 standalone institutions out of a total of 11,643. A bulk of the institutions in India are private unaided ones (57.4 per cent) followed by 14 per cent state universities, 13.3 per cent private aided, 7.4 per cent local body and 7.3 per cent central institutions.

Specialisation-wise, 54 per cent colleges are general, and 17.4 per cent, technical. Of all 448 universities, just one per cent cater exclusively to women.