Female enrolment in higher education has increased from 2.06 crore in 2021-22 to 2.23 crore in 2023-24, while the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for women has risen from 28.5 to 31.2 over the same period, the Union Ministry of Education informed Parliament on Monday.

Replying to a starred question in the Lok Sabha, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the female Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) has remained higher than the male GER throughout the last three years, resulting in a Gender Parity Index (GPI) above 1. According to the government, this indicates that women's participation in higher education has surpassed that of men during this period.

PM-USHA TARGETS UNDERSERVED DISTRICTS

The ministry said several initiatives under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 are aimed at improving access to higher education for girls, particularly those from rural areas and socio-economically disadvantaged groups.

It highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA), launched in June 2023 with an outlay of Rs 12,926.10 crore, as a key intervention to strengthen state universities and colleges, including institutions in rural and educationally underserved regions. Under the scheme, priority is given to focus districts identified on the basis of low Gross Enrolment Ratio, gender parity, enrolment of women and disadvantaged communities, aspirational districts, border areas and Left Wing Extremism-affected regions.

The ministry added that PM-USHA's Gender Inclusion and Equity Initiatives (GIEI) component seeks to improve girls' enrolment in higher education by encouraging participation in STEM, vocational and professional courses.

SCHOLARSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS AND HOSTEL PUSH

The government also listed several scholarship and fellowship schemes intended to improve access to higher education for women. These include the University Grants Commission's National Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies (NSPG), the UGC NET-Junior Research Fellowship, and the Savitribai Jyoti Rao Phule Single Girl Child Fellowship.

For students pursuing technical education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) offers schemes such as the Pragati Scholarship for Women, AICTE PG Scholarship, AICTE Doctoral Fellowship, Saksham Scholarship and Swanath Scholarship. The ministry also noted that AICTE introduced a Post-Doctoral Fellowship (PDF) scheme from the 2024-25 academic year.

The Centre further said that supernumerary seats introduced in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) have helped increase female enrolment from less than 10% to more than 20%. It added that women now account for around 43% of enrolment in STEM education, which it described as among the highest in the world.

UTTARAKHAND RECORDS HIGHER-THAN-NATIONAL FEMALE GER

The ministry also shared state-specific data for Uttarakhand, stating that female enrolment in higher education increased from 2.82 lakh in 2021-22 to 3.24 lakh in 2023-24.

Female GER in the state rose from 43.7 to 51.7 during the period, significantly higher than the national female GER of 31.2 in 2023-24. The Gender Parity Index in Uttarakhand also remained above 1 over the last three years, indicating higher participation of women than men in higher education.

Responding to another part of the question, the ministry said it has not indicated that any non-governmental organisation has been entrusted with running social media campaigns to encourage girls from rural areas to enrol in higher education. Instead, the government said it is relying on policy interventions, financial support, scholarships and institutional infrastructure to improve access and participation.

- Ends

Published By:

Mridusmita Deka

Published On:

Jul 21, 2026 11:35 IST