Female enrolment surges in world’s largest HE system

Women’s participation in higher education in India – and particularly women from the most disadvantaged groups – has been rising at a faster rate than that of men in recent years, according to the latest government report All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE). But experts say the increases mask a continued gender gap in the country’s top institutions and in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses.

The government’s AISHE report 2021-22, made public on 25 January, found that 43.3 million students are currently enrolled in higher education institutions in India, up from 41.4 million in 2020-21, and 34.2 million in 2014-15.

The figures put India ahead of China as one of the world’s largest higher education systems. In 2022 36.6 million students were enrolled in higher education in China, according to official figures.

Overall, enrolment has risen by 26% in India since 2014-15 but women’s enrolment has increased more significantly: 32% during the same period. Even greater increases were recorded for women from the most disadvantaged groups: for example, a significant 51% increase in the enrolment of female students from Scheduled Castes, a government category which include Dalits (formerly ‘untouchables’), compared to a 44% increase in all students from that category, during the same period.

The statistics also reveal what the government calls a “remarkable” increase of 80% in female students from the Scheduled Tribes category.

India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) (those enrolled in higher education as a percentage of the total population aged 18-23) increased to 28.4% in 2021-22 from 23.7% in 2014-15, while female GER increased to 28.5% from 22.9% during the corresponding period. The female GER continued to be higher than the male GER for the fifth consecutive year since 2017-18.

India has set itself the target of reaching 30% GER by 2025 – approaching the levels of many Western countries.

The Ministry of Education has been conducting the AISHE survey since 2011, covering all higher educational institutions in the country registered with AISHE, collecting detailed information on different parameters such as student enrolment, teachers, and infrastructural information, among others.

The survey captures total student enrolment in eight different levels: undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD, MPhil, diploma, and other programmes. In all, 10,576 standalone institutions, 42,825 colleges, and 1,162 universities and university-level institutions responded to the survey.

An ‘exemplary’ shift

Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, chair of India’s University Grants Commission (UGC), said a trend of “rapidly rising female enrolment” is apparent across all social categories, adding it indicated an “exemplary shift” in access to higher education for female students.

Initiatives like targeted scholarships, girls’ hostels, and flexible learning options helped in promoting an environment of inclusivity, Kumar said, describing the rise in enrolment among minority communities as an “inspiring picture”.

Quoting from the survey, he said the total number of minority students in higher education, which include those of the Muslim, Sikh, Christian and other non-Hindu faiths, had increased by 38%, while the total number of female students belonging to different minority groups had also increased by 42.3% since 2014-15.

He pointed to a rise of 81.2% in PhD enrolment, with a noteworthy 107% rise among female students, as a remarkable achievement of the Indian higher education system as a whole. “The rise in interest for research, especially among women, offers great hope for the future of Indian academia and innovation,” Kumar added.

The survey reveals that total PhD enrolment in 2021-22 was 213,000, up from 70,000 in 2014-15. Female PhD enrolment more than doubled to 99,000 in 2021-22 from 48,000 in 2014-15.

However, some academics as well as student groups from opposition parties were critical of the survey and pointed out that the rate of growth in enrolment was “normal”, rather than extraordinary. They noted that the increase in the number of higher education institutions was mostly due to expansion in the private sector, rather than government funding.

According to left-wing student organisation the Students Federation of India (SFI), what it described as a “marginal increase” in student enrolment in 2021-22 could be explained by the fact that the preceding year was a pandemic year.

SFI general secretary Mayukh Biswas said in a statement that scholarships for marginalised students had been discontinued, while a considerable number of schools had been shut down after the National Education Policy (NEP) was implemented from 2020.

These factors “bound to have repercussions on higher education in the years ahead”, he said while also expressing concern over the rise in the number of student suicides, which particularly afflicts members of marginalised groups.

Persistent discrepancies

According to experts, addressing the gender gap in higher education remains a big challenge. Despite an overall increase in female participation, the statistics conceal various discrepancies.

For example, representation of Muslim women in higher education, although showing some improvement, remains dismally low at 2.7% of enrolment. Similarly, women from historically disadvantaged groups, such as Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, only account for 2.8% and 7.3%, respectively, of overall enrolment.

According to Jyoti Thakur, associate fellow at the New Delhi-based National Council of Applied Economic Research: “We have achieved success in narrowing the gender disparity in higher education enrolment across all levels. But the segregation of academic disciplines in Indian high education into ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ courses is a significant aspect of the interplay between gender and education.”

Thakur told University World News this divide was deeply rooted in societal norms and stereotypes about appropriate fields of study for men and women.

“Engineering, technology, and physical sciences are often viewed as masculine, whereas arts, humanities and social sciences are considered feminine. These perceptions are ingrained in societal attitudes and significantly influence the educational choices of students,” she said.

According to Thakur, differences in gender enrolment are evident across various graduate programmes.

For instance, more females enrol in courses like marine science and oceanography, hospitality and tourism, while fewer enrol in engineering and technology. Courses with predominantly female enrolment include home science and fashion technology.

Top institutions

Another concern is the persistently low presence of women students in Institutions of National Importance, which include Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management, the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences and India’s highest ranked universities. Women account for only 25% of students in these top institutions with men occupying the majority of places.

Over the period 2015-2019, there was a marginal increase of just 3% in the representation of women students in these top institutions.

The previous AISHE survey (2019-2022) revealed that the share of female students was lowest in Institutes of National Importance – 24.7% for Institutes of National Importance followed by government deemed universities at 33.4%, and state private universities at 34.7%.

Disparity in STEM courses

Gender inequality in STEM fields remains a matter of concern. The government has unveiled initiatives to increase the representation of women in technical education, such as the ‘supernumerary’ seat scheme in the IITs. Launched in 2018 this scheme reserved 15% of seats at IITs for women. The proportion is now 20% of seats.

UGC’s Kumar has also acknowledged gender inequality in STEM fields despite an encouraging upward trend in the enrolment of female students in science. He said: “There is a notable gap in enrolment of female students in engineering and technology”.

While stressing a need for “more deliberation” on this issue, Kumar said the UGC was committed to breaking societal stereotypes and fostering an environment that empowers young women to assertively pursue careers in science and technology.

For example, to help working women, the UGC has proposed a Sakhi Niwas scheme, or the provision of hostels for working women on university campuses. The UGC has asked universities to allot land or buildings within their premises for working women’s hostels.

According to the UGC, women from rural areas relocate to big cities for higher education and require safe, affordable accommodation to continue their studies. Working women’s hostels on campuses would provide a favourable environment, encouraging more women to pursue advanced studies.