Higher education enrolment touches 4.5 crore in 2023-24; GER rises to 30: AISHE
New Delhi, July 8 (TNT): The Union Ministry of Education on Wednesday released the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) reports for 2022-23 and 2023-24, showing continued growth in enrolment, improved participation of women and socially disadvantaged groups, and a rise in the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) across the country.
According to the survey, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education increased to 30.0 in 2023-24 from 29.5 in 2022-23 and 23.7 in 2014-15. The female GER rose to 31.2 in 2023-24 from 30.2 a year earlier and 22.9 in 2014-15.
The survey also recorded significant improvement in the GER of Scheduled Castes (SCs), which increased to 27.8 in 2023-24 from 18.9 in 2014-15, while the GER of Scheduled Tribes (STs) rose to 22.8 from 13.5 during the same period.
The Gender Parity Index (GPI), which measures the ratio of female to male GER, stood at 1.08 in 2023-24, remaining above 1.0 for the seventh consecutive year, indicating higher female participation in higher education.
Total enrolment in higher education increased to 4.50 crore in 2023-24 from 4.46 crore in 2022-23 and 3.42 crore in 2014-15, registering an overall growth of 31.5 per cent over the past decade.
Female enrolment rose to 2.24 crore in 2023-24 from 2.18 crore in the previous year and 1.57 crore in 2014-15, reflecting a 42.2 per cent increase since 2014-15.
Enrolment of SC students reached 69.72 lakh in 2023-24, up from 46.07 lakh in 2014-15, while ST enrolment increased to 28.83 lakh from 16.41 lakh. Enrolment of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) also grew to 1.80 crore, compared with 1.13 crore in 2014-15.
The report noted that enrolment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines crossed the one-crore mark, rising from 91.5 lakh in 2014-15 to 1.02 crore in 2023-24. The share of women in STEM enrolment also improved from 38.4 per cent to 44 per cent during the period.
The number of faculty members in higher education institutions increased to 17.32 lakh in 2023-24, including 7.78 lakh women, compared with 7.37 lakh women faculty in 2022-23 and 5.69 lakh in 2014-15.
The Ministry said participation by higher education institutions remained above 90 per cent in both survey years, with 56,180 institutions participating in AISHE 2022-23 and 59,533 institutions in 2023-24.
The AISHE, conducted through a web-based data collection system, compiles information on student enrolment, faculty, infrastructure, staffing and examination outcomes, and serves as the government’s primary source of official statistics for higher education policy and planning.
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