Despite a demographic advantage, India’s growth has faced considerable constraints from an inadequate supply of qualified manpower. To begin with, despite a rise in the number of general and professional colleges over the last two decades, the enrolment in higher education lags the world average. The 11th five year plan document on education noted a low gross enrolment ratio (GER) of 11 per cent in higher education in 2004-05, much lower than the world average of 23.2 per cent. Further, even as rural GER stood at 6.7 per cent, urban GER was 19.9 per cent. The plan, therefore, set out to increase GER to 21 per cent by the end of the 12th plan with an interim target of 15 per cent by 2011-12.
According to the latest data available from the ministry of human resources development for 2006-07, the largest number of professional colleges are in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, in large part due to the presence of the private sector. In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, the number of professional colleges is higher than that of general colleges — this reflects the emphasis on technical education in these states. Interestingly, when it comes to general colleges, Uttar Pradesh had 1,676 in 2006-07, while Andhra Pradesh had 1,674, the top two in the country. However, the population in the age group 15-24 years in Andhra Pradesh was roughly half that in Uttar Pradesh in 2006. Disparities in access, therefore, abound in the country. Students do have the option to migrate to other states for higher education, but this is available only to those who can afford the higher costs of tuition and living away from home.
In effect, there is a huge problem of access to higher education. The government, however, has made efforts to mitigate this deficit by giving extra support to boost expansion in states with low GERs, setting up new degree colleges in 370 districts that have been identified with very low GER. In addition, expansion is on for setting up new Central Universities, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management and so on. Although the private sector now accommodates more than half of total higher education enrolment, there are severe problems with regard to quality, fees and accreditation that need to be resolved through appropriate regulation. (Click here for graph)
| COLLEGE COURSE | ||
| India | Colleges for general education | Professional colleges |
| 1991-92 | 5,058 | 950 |
| 1996-97 | 6,759 | 1,770 |
| 2001-02 | 8,737 | 2,409 |
| 2006-07 | 11,458 | 7,024 |
| Note: Professional educational includes engineering, technical, architecture, medical, teacher training colleges and polytechnics | ||
| Source: Ministry of Human Resources Development | ||
The Report to the People on Education 2009-10 noted that the GER target of 15 per cent for 2011-12 will be reached. There is a simultaneous effort to raise the quality and effectiveness of higher education courses. Reforms that are pending in Parliament include accreditation through a National Accreditation Regulatory Authority, prohibition of unfair practices in technical colleges, regulating entry of foreign educational institutes and so on. There have also been many initiatives to broaden access to learning. The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning, for instance, has developed online courses in collaboration with seven IITs and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; more than 1,000 courses will be accessible through the mobile phone free of charge. Investment in education is an important determinant of economic growth; a sector that has been neglected for decades is finally getting the attention it deserves, providing the vital infrastructure for the development of human capital.
Indian States Development Scorecard is a weekly feature by Indicus Analytics that focuses on the progress in India and the states across various socio-economic parameters