Higher Education

Higher Education

GS Paper II: Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education, Human Resources

Context

Data from the Ministry of Education’s All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) highlights that India’s higher education ecosystem has expanded significantly over the past decade (2014–15 to 2023–24) across institutional capacity, gross enrolment, gender parity, and research out-turn.

Decadal Growth & Landscape (2014–15 to 2023–24)

• Institutional Expansion:
  • Universities: Increased by 69.6% (from 760 to 1,289).
  • Colleges: Grew by 25.3% (from 38,498 to 48,246).
  • Standalone Institutions: Rose by 24% (from 12,276 to 15,221).
• Enrolment Trajectory: Aggregate student enrolment rose by 31.5% to reach 4.50 crore in 2023–24, lifting the overall Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) from 23.7% to 30%. Annual student out-turn expanded by 24.06% to 1.09 crore.
• Gender Parity:
  • Female enrolment surged by 42.2% to 2.24 crore.
  • Female GER reached 31.2%, surpassing male GER (28.9%) for the seventh consecutive year.
  • The Gender Parity Index (GPI) improved to 1.08 (with SC category at 1.11 and ST category at 1.08).
• Social Inclusivity: Other Backward Classes (OBC) account for 40.1% of total enrolment, while Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) reached 15.5% and 6.4% respectively. Category GER stands at 27.8% for SCs and 22.8% for STs.
• Research & Academic Shifts:
  • Ph.D. Enrolment: Surged by 192.89% to 3.43 lakh.
  • Integrated Courses: Grew by 301.36% to 5.69 lakh.
  • STEM Education: Enrolment expanded by 11.5% to 1.02 crore, with women comprising 44% of STEM students.
• Faculty & Physical Infrastructure: The teaching workforce grew by 17.6% to 17.32 lakh (with women comprising 44.9%). In terms of infrastructure coverage, 98% of institutions possess functional libraries, 95% have playgrounds, and 85% host dedicated laboratories.
• Global & Inclusive Footprint: Foreign student enrolments rose by 37.5% to 58,134, while enrolment of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) expanded to 88,816 (with male participation remaining higher).

Key Challenges & Systemic Bottlenecks

Major Government Schemes & Strategic Interventions

• Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA): Centrally sponsored scheme financing State Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to upgrade physical laboratories, promote equity, and align curricula with NEP 2020.
• One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS): Provides unified, centrally funded digital access to peer-reviewed international scientific journals and databases for all recognized Indian HEIs.
• Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): Apex body established to seed, finance, and steer research, development, and entrepreneurship across universities, colleges, and national laboratories.
• Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA): Non-banking financial company (joint venture with Canara Bank) providing market-linked, low-cost capital for world-class educational and research infrastructure.
• SWAYAM & SWAYAM PRABHA: MOOCs platforms offering free, credit-transferable online courses across diverse disciplines to overcome physical and regional access constraints.
• Academic Bank of Credits (ABC): Digital repository operating under DigiLocker to store verified academic credits, operationalizing multiple entry and exit pathways across undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
• Internationalization Schemes (GIAN & SPARC):
  • Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN): Taps global talent by inviting foreign academics and scientists to deliver short-term specialized modules.
  • Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC): Joint research projects connecting top Indian institutions with premier global universities.

Conclusion

India’s higher education system has achieved quantitative scale, closing gender gaps and expanding physical access across non-metro regions. To convert these gains into a productive demographic dividend, policy focus must shift toward qualitative outcomes—filling faculty vacancies, expanding R&D expenditure through public-private partnerships via the ANRF, and aligning degree curricula with market-driven digital and industrial competencies.