Enrolment Of Women In Top Institutions Not Growing: Study

A new survey from 2018-19 on the educational growth and standards of campuses shows that even though women scholars are conventionally doing well in numbers in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, statistically there is not much growth in top institutions in the number of female students. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2018-19, new data that surfaced online indicates that female students are outnumbered, at just 24 percent in 127 institutions of national importance. Of this, the number is approximately eight out of 16 in higher education.

New data found across the country states that more women are pursuing science and medicine at the undergraduate level while the number for B. Com has now has touched an all-time high with 99 females for every 100 males on campus. Nonetheless, experts say that women comfortably outnumber men among those graduating at the UG, PG, PG Diploma and M.Phil level.

Key Takeaways:

• Female scholars are at just 24 percent in 127 institutions of national importance, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2018-19.
• Women outnumber men among those graduating at the UG, PG, PG Diploma and M.Phil level.
• However, the number for female scholars fluctuated at institutions like AIIMS, IITs, IISERs, NITs, and Schools of Planning and Architecture, among others in the last three years.

The new data found across the country states that more women are pursuing science and medicine at the undergraduate level while the number for B Com now has touched an all-time high with 99 females for every 100 males on campus.

What the data reveals

Many other findings also show us that the culture of female participation is very high at PG level. Each year, the number of women students is also increasing at the MA, MSc and MCom levels, and this sharp change is highly noticeable over the last five years. According to the data collected, medicine (at UG level) is the most valued programme where the gender gap is significantly in favour of the female students which is 60.6 percent. Among other most favourable streams are Arts at 53.03 percent and Science at 51 percent of total enrolment. At the Master’s level, there are more female students in Science and Arts with 62.72 percent and 61.78 percent of total enrolment respectively.

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This number changes in institutions

Even though women are hugely active in Medicine and Arts the figures failed to impress in top institutions. For the last three years, the number for female scholars is fluctuating at institutions like AIIMS, IITs, IISERs, NITs, and Schools of Planning and Architecture, among others.

In law, the enrolment stands at 33.7 percent and just 28 percent and 28.86 percent in BTech and BE, respectively. “In MTech, there has been a continuous decline as the number of females per 100 males has dipped from 64 in 2014-15 to 54 in 2018-19. Despite the marked improvement from 58 females per 100 males to 75 in MBA courses and 64 in 2014-15 to 70 in 2018-19 in BCA, the gender gap remains significant,” study claims.

“The biggest gap is at the undergraduate level, where there are 26,736 females as compared to 96,724 males. Similarly, at the postgraduate level, the number of females is just 12,819 in a population of 50, 201,” it states.

Women techies are also short in number since an overall poor enrolment in technical education (BE/ BTech) is reported. “The biggest gap is at the undergraduate level, where there are 26,736 females as compared to 96,724 males. Similarly, at the postgraduate level, the number of females is just 12,819 in a population of 50, 201,” it states.

Conclusion

As per the report, MCom, MSc, BEd, BBA, LLB, BPharm, BSc nursing and MBBS see the highest percentage point growth of female participation in the last five years, recording all-time high enrolment. Other programmes such as engineering and technology registered less growth in enrolment figures in 2018-19.

Feature Image Credit : Moneycontrol