Female enrolment in higher education climbs to 2.23 crore, says Centre

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has consistently remained higher than the male GER, reflecting stronger participation by women in higher education

The number of women studying in higher education has steadily increased over the past three years, rising from 2.06 crore in 2021-22 to 2.23 crore in 2023-24, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for women, which measures the share of people in the eligible age group enrolled in higher education, also improved from 28.5 per cent to 31.2 per cent during the same period.

Replying to a question by BJP MP Ajay Bhatt on steps taken to encourage girls from villages and rural areas to pursue higher education, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government’s initiatives are aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which aims to ensure that no child is denied education because of their social or economic background.

“As per All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE): 2023-24, the female enrolment in higher education has increased in the country over the last three years, rising from 2.06 crore in 2021-22 to 2.23 crore in 2023-24. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for females increased from 28.5 in 2021-22 to 31.2 in 2023-24. Throughout this period, the female GER consistently remained higher than the male GER, resulting in a Gender Parity Index (GPI) greater than 1. This indicates that female participation in higher education has surpassed that of males participation during these years,” he said.

Government highlights measures to improve access

Pradhan said the policy identifies students from villages, small towns and aspirational districts as socio-economically disadvantaged groups and focuses on improving access to higher education, increasing participation and reducing learning gaps.

He said the government has expanded higher education infrastructure, strengthened scholarship support, promoted gender inclusion and encouraged more women to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses.

As part of these efforts, the Centre launched the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) in June 2023 with an outlay of Rs 12,926.10 crore. The scheme provides financial support to state universities and colleges, especially in rural and underserved areas, to improve infrastructure and quality. Districts with low enrolment, poor gender parity and weaker representation of women and disadvantaged communities are given priority.

The minister also said the government introduced additional seats for women in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs), helping raise female enrolment in these institutions from less than 10% to over 20%. Women now account for around 43% of enrolment in STEM courses, among the highest shares globally, he added.

NEP review only after full implementation

Responding to another question, Pradhan said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is being implemented as an ongoing process and a comprehensive review will be carried out only after the policy is fully operational, likely during the 2030-2040 decade.

He said the government has not released a separate implementation report card for the policy. Instead, its progress is being monitored through education indicators under the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), while central education schemes have been aligned with NEP’s objectives.

According to UDISE+ 2025-26 data cited by the minister, total school enrolment has increased to 24.72 crore students. The Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) improved across primary, middle, and secondary levels compared with the previous year, while the Gender Parity Index (GPI) remained at or above 1.0 across all stages, indicating that girls are participating in school education at the same level as, or higher than, boys.

Centre outlines progress on school education initiatives

In a separate reply in the Lok Sabha, Pradhan said the implementation of NEP 2020 has accelerated over the past six years. More than 13,000 PM SHRI schools have been selected, 728 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) have been approved, and several nationwide programmes have been launched to improve foundational literacy, teacher training and digital learning.

He said that major school education schemes, including Samagra Shiksha, PM SHRI, PM POSHAN, and ULLAS, have been aligned with the policy’s goals.

The minister said achieving foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by Grade 2 remains one of the government’s top priorities. Under the NIPUN Bharat Mission, the Centre has introduced several initiatives across all states and Union Territories, including Vidya Pravesh, a three-month school-readiness programme for Grade 1 students; NISHTHA-FLN training for teachers and school heads; digital learning resources on the DIKSHA platform; the Jaadui Pitara learning kit; and primers in 121 local languages to support early learning in children’s mother tongue.

The Centre said 13,092 PM SHRI schools have been selected across 33 states and Union Territories based on UDISE+ benchmarks.

Published on July 21, 2026