Southern States Lead While Northern Counterparts Lag Behind, Finds “State of Muslim Education in India” Study
New Delhi- A recent study titled “State of Muslim Education in India” has brought to light significant disparities in higher education enrollment among Muslim students across different regions of the country. The study, conducted by former professor Arun C Mehta, who led the Educational Management Information System (EMIS) at the National University of Educational Planning & Administration (NIEPA), analysed data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE Plus) and the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE).
According to the study’s findings reported by The Wire, while the rate of Muslim students enrolling in higher education is notably high in southern states such as Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, it remains significantly low in northern states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and others, despite their high Muslim populations.
The study revealed that between 2016-17 and 2019-20, there was a substantial increase in Muslim student enrollment in higher education in southern states and union territories, with figures reaching up to 21,00,860. However, there was a concerning 8.53 per cent decline in enrollment in the subsequent year, dropping to 19,21,713.
Notably, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of Muslim students aged between 18 and 23 stands at 8.41 per cent nationally, with women outperforming men with a GER of 9.43% compared to 8.44% for males. Southern states and UTs exhibited higher GERs compared to their northern counterparts, with Telangana leading the chart at nearly 34%, followed by Tamil Nadu at approximately 28%.
However, Kerala recorded a 20% enrollment rate, with women surpassing men by a significant margin. Karnataka follows with 15.78 per cent enrollment, while Andhra Pradesh lags behind with only 10 per cent enrollment, despite having a Muslim population share of 9.56 per cent according to the 2011 census.
In contrast, the northern states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Delhi, exhibited a much lower average enrollment rate of 7 per cent among Muslim students in higher education.
The study underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to address the disparities in higher education enrollment among Muslim students across different regions of India.