VIJAYAWADA: Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education in Andhra Pradesh is 35.2 per cent, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20 report released on Thursday. GER is the ratio of enrolment in higher education to the population in the eligible age group (18-23 years). According to the report, Sikkim tops the list with a GER of 75.8 per cent, followed by Chandigarh at 52.1 per cent; AP is in the twelfth position. The GER has increased almost 3 per cent when compared to the data from the previous report released for 2018-19.
For male students, the ratio is 38.3 per cent, while it is 32.2 per cent for female students. For SC category, the GER in the state is 31.2 per cent and 29.4 per cent for ST category. Out of the 11,79,687 students enroled in undergraduate colleges, 5,61,805 are women and 6,17,882 men. In the PG category, the total number of enrolments stood at 1,41,663 (68,039 women and 73,624 men).
“Gross Enrolment Ratio for females in all social group is highest in Sikkim with 67.6 per cent. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Punjab, Telangana and Uttarakhand also have GER of more than 30% for female in all categories,” according to the report released by the Union HRD Ministry.
GER in the state improved from 30.8 per cent to 35.2 per cent in five years. As per the report, the ratio of female students increased from 26.9 per cent in 2015-16 to 32.2 per cent in 2019-20. GER of male students, which increased from 34.7 per cent to 38.3 per cent, is due to the increasing awareness about education after graduation, experts said. Also, a majority of colleges (78.6 per cent) in the country are privately managed; state-wise, Andhra Pradesh (81 per cent) is on the top of the list, followed by Telangana (80 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (78.5 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (77.6 per cent).
The report also states that the number of government institutions in Andhra Pradesh jumped from 1,66,913 in 2015-16 to 1,76,975 in 2019-20. While the enrolment in the government colleges also saw a rise, there was an increase in the headcount of private-unaided colleges—from 9,03,005 to 10,46,189. Another factor leading to the rise in GER, as the numbers suggest, is the increase in the number of private institutes. The total number of colleges (including aided and unaided) went up from 2,532 to 2,750 in the state. The report also throws light on the fact that more students are pursuing PhDs.
For 18-23 age group
AP’s GER increased almost 3% since the previous report for 2018-19 was released
GER increased from 30.8% to 35.2 % in five years
Ratio of female students increased from 26.9% in 2015-16 to 32.2 & in 2019-20
Ratio of male students increased from 34.7% to 38.3%
No. of government institutions jumps from 1.66L to 1.76 L in 5 yrs