The enrolment in Ph.D, M.Phil, Post-Graduate and Under-Graduate courses is dominated by women in Haryana, which is known for its rigid patriarchal order.
The gender parity index i.e. female enrolment in higher education (18-23 years) stood at 122 females per 100 males for all categories and 124 per 100 males in scheduled caste (SCs) in 2019-20 in Haryana, according to the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) report 2020, released by Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) recently.
According to the AISHE report, over a decade, the women in Haryana have not only caught up with men in higher education but have gone on to outpace them.
The gross enrolment ratio or GER for women across all categories stood at 32.5 percent in 2019-20 marginally up from 32.4 percent in 2018-19. The GER for women has witnessed an increase over the years with 26.4 percent recorded in 2015-16 which increased to 29.7 percent in 2016-17 and 30.7 percent in 2017-18.
GER is the ratio of students between 18 and 23 years of age enrolled in higher education institutions against the total population in that age group in the state.
The overall GER in Haryana was registered at 29.3 percent in 2019-20 against the national average of 27.1 percent. The GER for male students was registered at 26.6 percent in the state.
Pointing out towards a decreasing gender gap among boys and girls in higher education, the AISHE report showed that the gender parity index, which stood at 0.76 percent (76 girls per 100 boys) in 2010-11, has witnessed significant growth over a decade in Haryana. The GPI had been pegged at 0.90 percent, 1.00 percent, 1.02 percent, 1.04 percent, 1.13 percent, 1.23 percent in the years 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 respectively.
At national level, the gender parity index for all categories is 101 per 100 males and for scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs), it is 105 and 97 respectively. Haryana's neighboring states - Punjab and Himachal, have registered a higher GPI at 1.28 percent and 1.30 percent respectively in 2019-20.
The GER and GPI figures suggest that the gap between girls and boys in higher education has narrowed down in Haryana.
The overall GER in the state has witnessed an upward trend from 26.1 percent in 2015-16 to 29.3 percent in 2019-20 while the GER for men remains fluctuating from 25.9 percent in 2015-16, 28.5 percent in 2016-17, 27 percent in 2017-18, 26.5 percent in 2018-19 and 26.6 percent in 2019-20.
As per the AISHE report, women have outnumbered men in pursuing higher education and research in Haryana. As many as 2356 women are pursuing Ph.D. as compared to 1810 men while 230 women are doing M.Phil. against 80 men as per the enrolment figures in 2019-20.
Women also dominate the percentage when it comes to post graduation courses as there were 69928 women enrolled in such courses as compared to 41587 male students. Similarly, more women i.e. 368329 against 354321 men enrolled in under-graduate (UG) level.
The ratio, however, changed in enrolment in PG diploma courses with 1672 female and 2059 male students. Likewise, out of 71285 enrolled in diploma courses, a maximum of 49706 were men, as per the report.
Overall enrolment in all categories and age groups was 9.33 lakh students including 4.60 lakh boys and 4.73 lakh girls in the colleges and universities of Haryana.
Haryana is also among the states which have more female teachers i.e. 20690 against 18541 male teachers in institutions of higher education.
The AISHE report further stated that there are 53 Universities and 1087 Colleges in the state. Haryana has 34 Colleges per lakh eligible people (aged 18-23) more than the national average of 28.
Notably, Haryana had recorded around 76 percent literacy rate. Of that, male literacy stood at 84.06 percent while female literacy is at 65.94 percent, according to the census 2011.
The state had also registered low sex ratio of 879 compared to the national average of 943 in the last census.
