As per the latest 2011 Census, about 8.15% (68 millions) of Indians are graduates, with Union Territories of Chandigarh and Delhi topping the list with 24.65% and 22.56% of their population being graduates respectively. Indian higher education system has expanded at a fast pace by adding nearly 20,000 colleges and more than 8 million students in a decade from 2000–01 to 2010–11. As of 2016, India has 799 universities, with a break up of 49 central universities, 402 state universities, 124 deemed universities, 334 private universities, 5 institutions established and functioning under the State Act, and 75 Institutes of National Importance which include IIMs, AIIMS, IITs, IIEST and NITs among others.
After 2011, as per the data available with MHRD, Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher education in India is 25.8%, which is calculated for18-23 years of age group. GER for male population is 26.3% and for females, it is 25.4%.ForScheduled Castes, it is 21.8% and for Scheduled Tribes, it is 15.9% as compared to the nationalGER of 25.8%. This effectively means that 75% of the population in the age group of 18-23 have either dropped out in various stages of school education. A lot needs to be done at the school level so as to decrease the drop rate and increase the enrollment in higher education in India. If India has to become a developed nation, the enrollment rate needs to increase to at least 40-45% which is the usual percentage in case of developed nations.
According to the data released by MHRD 2,90,16,350 students are enrolled in UnderGraduate courses across the nation while a total of 3,66,42,378 students are enrolled in higher educations courses i.e. Undergraduate, post graduation, PHD courses across the nation. Though the undergraduates registered across the nation in 2,55,00,325 which has now increased to 2,90,16,350, the percentage is not sufficient to reap the benefits of demographic dividends. If India has to reap the real benefits of its huge population than education shall have a huge role to play, the population can only contribute towards the growth story of India if the population is well educated and skilled.
Indian higher education is in need of radical reforms. Since there is a lack of jobs in various sectors, the students are usually forced to take up streams which are not in sync with their passion and ultimately makes them only a machine. A focus on enforcing higher standards of transparency, strengthening of the vocational and doctoral education pipeline, and professionalization of the sector through stronger institutional responsibility would help in reprioritizing efforts and working around the complexities. The rise of IT sector and engineering education in India has boxed students into linear path without giving them a chance to explore and discover their passions. Concerted and collaborative efforts are needed in broaden student choices through liberal arts education is the need of the hour.
In the last 30 years, higher education in India has witnessed rapid and impressive growth. The increase in the number of institutions is, however, disproportionate to the quality of education that is being dispersed. Unplanned over-expansion is often criticized as one of the biggest downfalls of Indian higher education. A large number of institutions suffer from subpar quality and a lack of funding. As a result, entry into the top institutions is highly competitive and translates into a contest for higher entrance test scores and better private coaching institutes.
The inability of the state to fund the expanding higher education system has resulted in the rapid growth of private higher education.In addition, diminished governmental financial support adversely affects small and rural educational institutions.A growing number of public institutions are forced to resort to self-financing courses and high tuition costs.The private sector's primary modes of financing include donations, capitation fees and exorbitant fee rates. This in turn limits general accessibility to higher education, by catering to only an elite few.
After 2011, as per the data available with MHRD, Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher education in India is 25.8%, which is calculated for18-23 years of age group. GER for male population is 26.3% and for females, it is 25.4%.ForScheduled Castes, it is 21.8% and for Scheduled Tribes, it is 15.9% as compared to the nationalGER of 25.8%. This effectively means that 75% of the population in the age group of 18-23 have either dropped out in various stages of school education. A lot needs to be done at the school level so as to decrease the drop rate and increase the enrollment in higher education in India. If India has to become a developed nation, the enrollment rate needs to increase to at least 40-45% which is the usual percentage in case of developed nations.
According to the data released by MHRD 2,90,16,350 students are enrolled in UnderGraduate courses across the nation while a total of 3,66,42,378 students are enrolled in higher educations courses i.e. Undergraduate, post graduation, PHD courses across the nation. Though the undergraduates registered across the nation in 2,55,00,325 which has now increased to 2,90,16,350, the percentage is not sufficient to reap the benefits of demographic dividends. If India has to reap the real benefits of its huge population than education shall have a huge role to play, the population can only contribute towards the growth story of India if the population is well educated and skilled.
Indian higher education is in need of radical reforms. Since there is a lack of jobs in various sectors, the students are usually forced to take up streams which are not in sync with their passion and ultimately makes them only a machine. A focus on enforcing higher standards of transparency, strengthening of the vocational and doctoral education pipeline, and professionalization of the sector through stronger institutional responsibility would help in reprioritizing efforts and working around the complexities. The rise of IT sector and engineering education in India has boxed students into linear path without giving them a chance to explore and discover their passions. Concerted and collaborative efforts are needed in broaden student choices through liberal arts education is the need of the hour.
In the last 30 years, higher education in India has witnessed rapid and impressive growth. The increase in the number of institutions is, however, disproportionate to the quality of education that is being dispersed. Unplanned over-expansion is often criticized as one of the biggest downfalls of Indian higher education. A large number of institutions suffer from subpar quality and a lack of funding. As a result, entry into the top institutions is highly competitive and translates into a contest for higher entrance test scores and better private coaching institutes.
The inability of the state to fund the expanding higher education system has resulted in the rapid growth of private higher education.In addition, diminished governmental financial support adversely affects small and rural educational institutions.A growing number of public institutions are forced to resort to self-financing courses and high tuition costs.The private sector's primary modes of financing include donations, capitation fees and exorbitant fee rates. This in turn limits general accessibility to higher education, by catering to only an elite few.
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