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Relevance: GS-I (Social Empowerment, Role of Women); GS-II (Education, Vulnerable Sections) Source: Ministry of Education / AISHE Report, 2026

1 · What exactly happened?

The Ministry of Education recently released the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) report for 2022-24. The results bring a lot of good news for India’s future.

Over the last decade, total college admissions have jumped to a record 4.50 crore students. The most inspiring part? Women and students from marginalized communities (SC, ST, and OBC) are leading this massive wave of growth, completely changing the face of Indian universities.

2 · Breaking Down the Big Numbers

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): This measures how many college-age youths are actually enrolled in higher education. India’s overall GER has hit 30.0. But beautifully, the female GER is 31.2, meaning women are beating the national average!

The Gender Win
More Women Than Men
The Gender Parity Index (GPI) is currently 1.08. For seven straight years, the index has stayed above 1.0, proving that females are enrolling in colleges faster than males across India.
The Science Push
Girls in STEM
Over 1.02 crore students are studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Amazingly, women now make up 44% of these traditionally male-dominated courses.
Inclusive Growth
Historic Jumps
Over the last decade, college enrolment for ST students shot up by an incredible 75.7%. SC student enrolment grew by 51.4%, and OBC enrolment grew by 60.2%.
The Missing Link
Degrees to Jobs
While women are studying more, India’s Female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) is still low. We urgently need policies to help these highly educated women get safe, formal jobs.

  • The Big Target: The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to push India’s higher education GER to a massive 50% by the year 2035. We are currently on a solid track to get there.
  • Vigyan Jyoti Scheme: Run by the Department of Science & Technology, this scheme helps brilliant high-school girls smoothly transition into tough college STEM courses.
  • Pragati Scholarship: Handled by AICTE, this program gives direct financial help to girls pursuing technical degrees and diplomas.
  • GATI Project: This initiative pushes big research institutions to change their culture and actively support gender equality in science.

UPSC Prelims Quick Facts
AISHE All India Survey on Higher Education. Managed by the Ministry of Education to track college data nationwide.
NEP 2020 Target Aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 50% by 2035.
Gender Parity Index (GPI) A ratio comparing female-to-male access. A GPI over 1.0 (currently 1.08) means more females are participating than males.
Vigyan Jyoti A scheme by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to encourage girls into STEM fields.
Pragati Scholarship Implemented by AICTE to financially support girls in technical education.

MCQ Practice Question
Q. With reference to higher education and related government schemes in India, consider the following statements:

  1. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to achieve a 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education by the year 2035.
  2. The Gender Parity Index (GPI) in Indian higher education has remained consistently below 1.0 for the last five years.
  3. The Vigyan Jyoti scheme is implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to encourage girls to pursue STEM subjects.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only    (b) 2 and 3 only    (c) 1 and 3 only    (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

  • Statement 1 — Correct: Raising the higher education GER to 50% by 2035 is an explicit goal of the NEP 2020.
  • Statement 2 — Incorrect (the trap): The GPI for higher education has actually remained above 1.0 for seven consecutive years, meaning female enrolment is higher than male enrolment.
  • Statement 3 — Correct: Vigyan Jyoti is a flagship scheme of the DST specifically designed to create a level playing field for girls in STEM.
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