NEW DELHI: Deeply embedded in its ancient philosophical tradition, education in India has seen an impressive journey from tradition to transformation, with a hoping 318% increase in its representation in global rankings, the highest growth among the G20 nations.
“The wealth of knowledge is indeed the supreme among all forms of wealth. Vidya is not the mere accumulation of knowledge but as the means for holistic self-empowerment,” says the ancient Indian texts and the country has strived to pass on this invaluable wealth of knowledge to its youth.
“Our commitment to quality education is yielding encouraging results. We will continue to support our educational institutions and provide opportunities for growth and innovation. This will help our youth greatly,” says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Here is a glimpse of the journey of the Indian education system has undertaken and the success story. Read on.
Expansion of university
A report titled ‘Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities’ released by the NITI Aayog recently suggests that the State Public Universities (SPUs) have played a key role in making education more accessible, especially in remote areas as they cater to the needs of more than 3.25 crore students. With the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aiming to double the enrollment by 2035, the universities have a huge task at hand.
Evolution and expansion of education system
In 1947 when India got independence, the country had only 17 universities and 636 colleges, serving 2.38 lakh students. The literacy rate was alarmingly low at 14%.
Now, India boasts of 495 State Public Universities with 46,000 affiliated institutions. These universities account for 81% of total student enrollment of the country.
Rise of higher education ecosystem
Since the establishment of the earliest universities in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in 1857, India’s higher education ecosystem has expanded significantly.
From just 30 universities and 578 colleges in 1950-51, India has transformed the education landscape with 1,168 universities, 45,473 colleges and 12,002 stand-alone institutions now, suggests AISHE Report 2021-2022.
The number of colleges has more than quadrupled over the last two decades.
GER growth
Between 1950-51 and 2021-22, India’s Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) grew by 71 times, with the GER going up from 0.4 in 1950-51 to 28.4 in 2021-22. Further, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to achieve a GER of 50% by 2035.
SPUs enrollment: increased from 2.34 crore students in 2011-12 to 3.24 crore students in 2021-22.
Enrollment of SEDGs students (2011-2022): Enrollment among OBCs increased by 80.9%, SC enrollment grew by 76.3%.
PwD Enrollment in SPUs: Increased from 52,894 students in 2011-12 to 56,379 students in 2021-22 (4.6% growth from 2016-17 and 6.6% growth from 2011-12).
The national GPI (Gender Parity Index) for 2021-22 was 1.01 compared to 0.87 in 2011-12, indicating a 16% increase towards gender equality over a decade.
Global research contribution
India’s contribution to global research publications has also seen a significant rise from 3.5% in 2017 to 5.2% in 2024. This growth is reflected in the NIRF 2024 rankings, where the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) lead in research output, contributing over 24% of total publications through 16 institutions. Private Deemed Universities follow, accounting for 23.5% of the total publications with 22 institutions showing improvement in their research output.
Investment in education
India has made a strong investment in its higher education sector, dedicating 1.57% of its GDP to tertiary education in 2021, surpassing many European nations and coming close to the US and the UK.
India’s higher education sector has seen impressive growth, with significant increases in enrollment, expanded SPUs, and improved representation of disadvantaged groups. The country has made strides in gender parity, faculty development, and global research contributions.
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