AISHE Report: Growth And Asymmetries In India’s Higher Education

Source: Indian Express
GS II: Issues relating to Education

Why in the News?

The latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) data by the Ministry of Education highlights the rapid expansion of India’s higher-education system.

News in Brief

• India’s higher-education system has entered an era of massification, with expansion in institutions and student enrolment.
• Private universities and institutions have expanded rapidly, increasing their role in higher education.
• Expansion is uneven across states, disciplines and social groups, indicating that access has not translated uniformly into equitable opportunities.
• The challenge is increasingly shifting from merely creating more seats to ensuring quality, employability and equitable access.

Ministry of Education has endeavoured to conduct an annual web-based All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) since 2010-11.

Key Highlights

Massification of Higher Education

• Higher education has expanded considerably in terms of:
  • Number of universities and colleges
  • Student enrolment
  • Availability of professional and specialised programmes.
• This represents a shift from elite higher education to mass higher education.
• However, quantitative expansion alone does not guarantee better learning outcomes or employment.

Rapid Expansion of Private Universities

• Private universities have become an important driver of institutional expansion.
• Between 2013-14 and 2023-24, the number of privately managed universities increased from 219 to 546 — nearly 149% growth.
• Private universities therefore expanded much faster than government universities.
• Concern- Rapid private-sector expansion raises questions regarding affordability, regulation, quality assurance and geographical concentration.

Regional Asymmetry

• The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education has increased over the years, indicating greater participation of the 18–23 age group.
• However, higher education opportunities remain unevenly distributed across states.
• Factors behind regional disparities,
  • Differences in economic development
  • Unequal institutional infrastructure
  • Variations in faculty availability
  • Urban concentration of quality institutions
  • Differences in state expenditure on education.
• Implication– Students from economically weaker and educationally backward regions may face restricted access to high-quality higher education.

Gender Dimension

• The Gender Parity Index (GPI) has improved, reflecting India has made considerable progress in women’s participation in higher education.
• Female participation has increased significantly in several undergraduate disciplines.
• However, gender disparities continue in STEM, technical education and higher academic positions.
• For example, engineering and technology continue to show a considerable male dominance.

Discipline-Wise Imbalance

• Student preferences are increasingly concentrated in certain disciplines.
  • BA continues to have very high enrolment.
  • Computing and technology-related disciplines are gaining popularity.
  • Traditional engineering branches coexist with rapidly growing computing-oriented fields.

Skill-Mismatch

• Skills imparted through higher education do not always align with evolving industry and labour-market requirements.
• This gap can reduce the employability of graduates despite rising degree attainment.
• Implication- Higher enrolment and educational attainment may not necessarily translate into productive employment.

NEP 2020- Towards Quality and Inclusive Higher Education

• The expansion of higher education, along with persistent quality, employability and regional disparities, highlights the need for reforms envisioned under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• The policy seeks to,
  • Increase higher-education GER to 50% by 2035.
  • Promote multidisciplinary education.
  • Strengthen research and innovation.
  • Improve vocational education.
  • Increase institutional autonomy.
  • Promote internationalisation of higher education.
  • Reduce fragmentation of higher-education institutions.

Way Forward and Conclusion

India needs to move from “expansion of seats” to “expansion with quality and equity.” This requires greater public investment, addressing regional gaps in institutions and faculty, strengthening accreditation and quality regulation, expanding affordable and multidisciplinary education, and integrating vocational learning with academic education.

Aligning curricula with emerging employment opportunities, strengthening research and university–industry linkages, improving women’s participation in STEM, and using technology judiciously can help ensure that higher-education expansion translates into employability, innovation and inclusive human-capital development.

Key Takeaways

UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question

Consider the following statements regarding the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE):

1. AISHE is conducted by the Ministry of Education.
2. It collects data on students, teachers and institutional infrastructure in higher education.
3. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education is calculated for the 14–18 years age group.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b) 1 and 2 only

Mains Practice Question

Q. India’s higher education system has witnessed significant quantitative expansion, but regional, institutional and disciplinary asymmetries continue to persist. Discuss the major challenges associated with this transformation and suggest measures to ensure equitable and quality higher education. (250 Words)

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