Enrollment in Heigher Education of SC/ST is in a Very Sorry State

The percentage of students from the Other Backward Communities who have enrolled in higher education has gone past 27 per cent, but the number of students from the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes continues to be unacceptably low.

Indicating an impressive increase in the Gross Enrolment Ratio from 15 per cent in 2009-10 to 18.8 per cent in 2010-11, the survey shows that the Enrolment of Women has increased substantially from 12.7 per cent to 16.5 per cent during this period, as against that of men, where the increase has been from 17.1 per cent to 20.9 per cent.

This, even as only 1 per cent of the universities and 9 per cent of the colleges are meant exclusively for girls.

Of the students in higher educational institutions, OBC students comprise 27.1 per cent, with 27.3 per cent being male and 26.8 per cent being female.

However, the Scheduled Castes comprise only 10.2 per cent of the enrolment, with 10.3 per cent male and 10.1 female, while the Scheduled Tribe enrolment is extremely low at 4.4 per cent, with males and females almost one par cent .

“ Higher enrolment indicates growing interest in higher education in India. The figures show that India has the highest number of students in colleges after the United States .”

( All India Survey on Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development )