Lok Sabha Question No. 3669 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-21
Subject: Access to Higher Education
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SHIVAJI ADHALRAO PATIL, ELUMALAI VELLAIGOUNDER, ANANDRAO  ADSUL, G. HARI, Shrirang Appa Barne, DHARMENDRA YADAV

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3669 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.12.2015

## Access to Higher Education

3669.  SHRI ADHALRAO PATIL SHIVAJIRAO:

SHRI ELUMALAI V.:

SHRI ANANDRAO ADSUL:

SHRI G. HARI:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

SHRI DHARMENDRA YADAV:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) the percentage of students having access to higher education in the country;

(b) the number of states which have better access to higher education than the national average, State-wise including Tamilnadu;

(c) whether the Government is aware that country's entire education system- both at the level of  school  education  and  higher  education  is  required  to  be  revamped  on  a  holistic  and systematic basis; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government to reduce Gross Enrolment Ratio gap between the country and developed world and to improve students enrolling in higher education?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ( SMT. SMRITI  ZUBIN  IRANI )

(a) & (b):  Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is a measure of students having access to education. For higher education, it is the ratio in a given year of the total enrolment to the total estimated population in the age group 18 -23 years.

As per the All India Survey on Higher Education - 2013-14,  20 States/UTs have a better GER as compared to national average of 23.0%. These are Chandigarh (55.8%), Puducherry (47.7%), Delhi (43.1%), Tamil Nadu (43%), Manipur (37.7%), Telangana (35.5%), Uttrakhand (33.8%), Andhra Pradesh (30.8%), Himachal Pradesh (29.3%), Sikkim (27.8%), Haryana (27.5%), Goa (26.4%),  Maharashtra  (26.3%),  Karnataka  (26.2%),  Arunachal  Pradesh  (26.1%),  Jammu  and Kashmir (25.6%), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (25.6%), Punjab (25.4%), Kerala (24.9%) and Mizoram (23.2%).

(c) & (d): The Central Government is implementing several schemes in collaboration with State Governments to ensure educational development in the education sector.  The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is being implemented in accordance with the norms and standards of the RTE Act to enhance enrolment and retention of  children,  with  context-  specific  interventions  for  SC/  ST students  and  a  multi-pronged  approach  for  reducing  dropout  rates.  This  includes  inter-alia strengthening of school infrastructure and facilities, residential hostel buildings for children in habitations not covered by regular schools, provisioning for additional teachers, regular training of teachers, provision for free text books and uniforms to children. The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme provides for setting up of residential upper primary schools for girls from SC,  ST,  OBC  and  Minority  communities.  The  Mid  Day  Meal  Scheme  is  also  being implemented with a view to enhance enrolment and retention of children in schools.

The Twelfth Five Year Plan aims to raise the country's GER to 25.2% by 2017-18 and to  reach  the  target  of  30%  by  2020-21.  During  11th  Five  Year  Plan,  several  new  Central Universities,  Indian  Institutes  of  Management,    Indian  Institutes  of  Technology,  National Institutes  of  Technology,  Polytechnics  and  other  Institutions  of  Higher  learning  have  been established. During the Twelfth Five Year Plan, a new scheme called the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha  Abhiyan  (RUSA)  has  been  launched  which  aims  to  achieve  equity,  access  and excellence in higher education through assistance to State universities

******