Muslims lag behind all communities in higher education; U.P. shows worst decline, says study

Source: The post is based on the article “Muslims lag behind all communities in higher education; U.P. shows worst decline, says study” published in The Hindu on 30th May 2023

What is the News?

According to the latest All India Survey on Education 2020-21 report, the Muslim community is lagging behind all communities, including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, in higher education.

What is the All India Survey on Higher Education(AISHE)?

What are the key findings of AISHE 2020-21 survey?

What are the findings of AISHE 2020-21 on higher education of the Muslim community?

Dismal enrolment ratio: The enrolment of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in higher education was improved by 4.2%, 11.9% and 4%, respectively, compared with 2019-20. But, the Muslim community’s enrolment declined by 8%.

This might be partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic poverty, which forces talented students to pursue earning opportunities after schooling.

Highest declining states: The most drastic decline was reported from Uttar Pradesh (36%), followed by Jammu and Kashmir (26%), Maharashtra (8.5%) and Tamil Nadu (8.1%).

Best performer: Kerala is the only State breaks the above trend. Here, 43% Muslims go for higher education.

Communities coverage of higher education: The OBCs accounts for 36% of the total enrolment in higher education in the country. The SCs bring up another 14%. The two communities cover nearly 50% of the seats in universities and colleges.

But the Muslim community accounts for only 4.6% higher education enrolment though the community’s share in the country’s population stands at over 14%.

For example, in Delhi, every fifth Muslim student failed to enrol for higher education after completing the Senior School Certificate Examination and in Uttar Pradesh, where Muslims are about 20% of the population, the community’s enrolment for higher education stands at a mere 4.5%.

Gradual upliftment of women: Muslims and other minorities have more female students than male students, pointing to a gradual uplift of the women of the minority communities.

Note: This also signifies the pressure to earn at the earliest among the male members of the community.

Lack of Muslim teachers: At an all-India level, teachers belonging to the General Category account for 56% of all teachers. OBC, SC and ST teachers make up another 32%, 9% and 2.5% of the teachers, respectively. Muslims constitute only 5.6% of the teachers.