Lok Sabha Question No. 13 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-11-25
Subject: Non-Enrolment of Women in Rural Areas in Higher Education
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Janardan Singh Sigriwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-13

ANSWERED ON-25/11/2024

## NON-ENROLMENT OF WOMEN IN RURAL AREAS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

13 Shri Janardan Singh Sigriwal:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  note  of  non-enrolment  of  women  in  rural  areas  of  the  country  in higher education after school education;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c) the measures taken/being taken by the Government to promote higher education among women in rural areas;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to set up new institutions and universities to provide higher education to the women of rural areas in the country; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof along with other measures being taken by the Government to educate women belonging to the educationally backward areas of the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR )

(a) & (b) According to the publication of results of secondary and Higher Secondary Examination-2022, the total  number  of  female  students  who  passed  the  Higher  Secondary  Examination  is  62,90,139. As  per All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2022-23 (Provisional), the total female student enrolment for first year undergraduate programs (regular mode) is 55,59,472.

- (c)  to  (e)  As  per  AISHE  2022-23  (Provisional),  19  Universities  and  4674  Colleges  are  exclusively  for Women.

Education being in the Concurrent List, enhancing the quality of education is the responsibility of both the Central and State Governments. Various schemes/ projects/ programmes run by the Ministry have been aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. NEP 2020 aims to ensure that no child loses opportunity  to  learn  and  excel  because  of  the  circumstances  of  birth  or  background.  This  policy  aims  at bridging the social category gaps in access, participation, and learning outcomes, including providing greater access to women. The Central Government has taken various measures to promote higher education among the  students  across  the  nation  including  women,  such  as  fee  reductions,  establishment  of  more  institutes, scholarships, priority access to national level scholarships to aid students with poor financial backgrounds to pursue their education.

University  Grants  Commission  (UGC) is  implementing  scholarship  scheme  'National  Scholarship for  Post  Graduate  Studies  (NSPG)'  to  provide  scholarship  to  students  pursuing  Post  Graduate  Programs. UGC is also providing fellowships to pursue Ph.D. in all disciplines including STEM education, under UGC NET-Junior Research Fellowship and Savitribai Jyoti Rao Phule Single Girl Child Fellowship.

Similarly, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) also offers various scholarships like AICTE  Pragati  Scholarship  Scheme  for  Women  (Degree  &  Diploma),  AICTE  PG  scholarship  Scheme, AICTE Doctoral Fellowship (ADF), AICTE Saksham Scholarship Scheme (Degree & Diploma) and AICTE Swanath Scholarship Scheme (Degree & Diploma).  AICTE has also launched the AICTE Post-Doctoral Fellowship  (PDF)  scheme  in  June  2024  from  the  academic  year  2024-25  for  girls  and  boys  of  AICTE approved Institutions.

With a view to improve female enrolment in the Undergraduate Programmes in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs), supernumerary seats were created which increased the female enrolment from less than 10% to more than 20%. Women constitute 43% of enrolment in STEM education, one of the highest in the world.

Further,  Indian  Institutes  of  Technology  (IITs)  and  National  Institutes  of  Technology  (NITs)  also provide 100% tuition fee waiver for SC/ST/PwD undergraduate students. Besides, the most economically backward students (whose family income is less than Rs.1.00 lakh per annum) gets full remission of the fee and the other economically backward students with family income between Rs.1.00 lakh to Rs.5.00 lakh get 2/3rd fee remission.

Apart from this, UGC is implementing the scheme of 'Development of Women's Studies in Indian Universities and Colleges'. This scheme provides funds for setting up Women Studies Centers (WSCs) in universities  and  colleges,  focusing  on  teaching,  research,  curriculum  development,  training  and  outreach activities.  The  objectives  of  the  scheme  are  to  provide  financial  support  in  advancing  Women's  Studies through teaching, research and practical work.

Synergising  the  School  Education  and  Higher  Education,  the  IIT-Madras  has  undertaken  'Vidya Shakti' scheme which aims at enhancing conceptual and foundational learning skills of children from rural areas to enhance enrolment (including women) in STEM branches in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs).

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) offers fellowships to promote research in basic and applied sciences among women through programs under Women in Science and Engineering- KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN)  and  SERB-  Promoting  Opportunities  for  Women  in  Exploratory  Research  (SERBPOWER) Fellowship scheme to identify and reward outstanding women researchers and innovators working in various Science & Technology program in Indian academic institutions and R&D laboratories.

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has been supporting several programs to promote science education & research and offers various scholarship for the higher education and provides opportunities to female researchers for participation in schemes of the Department such as DBT- Junior Research Fellowship Program and DBT- Research Associateship Program in which female candidates are given an age relaxation of  05  years.  The  Biotechnology  Career  Advancement  and  Re-  orientation  Programme  (BioCARe)  is  a special programme of the DBT with a vision to promote and support women in science.