Education–Muslims grossly under represented in higher education

By India News Stream Correspondent

July 27, 2018

New Delhi: The number Muslim students in institutions of higher education is much low in relation to their total population in the country, according to an official survey.
The data provided by All India Survey on Higher Education for 2017-18, released here on Friday by Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar, shows that out of the total 36.6 million enrolment in higher education, the percentage of Muslim students is just five, whereas they constitute over 14 per cent of the country’s total population.
Students from other minority communities constitute 2.2 per cent of the total enrolment.
The percentage of Scheduled Caste students is 14.4 per cent, as compared to their share in the total population which is 16.6 per cent. Scheduled Tribes
share in enrolment is 5.2 per cent as compared to their 8.6 per cent population.
The share of other backward classes is 35.0 per cent.
Gross Enrolment Ratio(GER) in higher education is 25.8 per cent, which is calculated for 18-23 years of age group. GER for male students is 26.3 per cent and for female, it 24.4 per cent.
The survey was released at a conference of Vice Chancellors of Central Universities, State Public Universities, Deemed to be Universities, State Private Universities, Directors of Central Institutes, such as IITs, IISc., IIMs, IISERs, IIITs, NITs and other central institutions.
Addressing the participants, the Minister said the SWAYAM platform launched a year back has proved to be a great success, as in a very short span, more than 24 lakh students have registered for it.
It is a huge success in providing quality, affordable and anytime learning to all, he said, and expressed the hope that with the active participation of the universities, user will further increase from 24 lakh to 2.4 crore by next year.
On this occasion, he also announced that all research projects of MHRD including IMPRINT will be opened to teachers and students of all Universities, but selection will be strictly on merit.
In order to check Plagiarism, Turnitin software will be made available at no cost basis to all Universities. Moreover from now on other than centrally funded Universities also can call foreign Professors to their institutions under GIAN initiative, he said.
Minister of State, HRD Dr Satya Pal also addressed the gathering. He said that research and innovation is the key factor in revolutionizing the higher education scenario of the country. He also pointed out that Indian higher educational institutions apply very less number of patent applications; it must be increased if India wants to become an world leader (Vishwa Guru) in the field of education again.