The Case Of Missing Muslims In Higher Education In India: Enrollment Fell By 1.79 Lakh In 2020-21
While the total enrolment in higher education in India has increased from 3.85 crore in 2019-20 to nearly 4.13 crore in 2020-21, enrollment among Muslim students in the age group of 18-23 dropped by more than 8.5% in 2020-21.?
This is the finding of a report titled "The state of Muslim education in India," based on data from Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) and the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE).?
What does the data reveal regarding Muslim enrollment in education??
The AISHE Final report of 2020-21 noted that while the enrolment of Muslims in higher education had increased from 19,59,004 in 2018-19 to 21,00,860 in 2019-20, a decrease was noticed in the following year to 19,21,713 in 2020-21.?
There was thus a decline of 1,79,147 students in absolute terms.?
A decline in enrollment of Muslims was also noted from primary to upper primary to secondary level.?
"While Muslims make up around 14.42% of total enrolment of 6.67 crore students at the upper primary level [Class 6-8], it slightly decreases to 12.62% at the secondary level Class 9-10 and declines to 10.76% at the higher secondary level Class 11-12," the report states.?
State-wise trends revealed that Assam (29.52%) and West Bengal (23.22%) recorded high dropout rates.?
How can the gap in education of Muslim students be covered??
The report suggests that Muslims face several challenges in India, such as poverty and limited access to quality education.?
Coming from low-income families, they are often unable to afford the cost of higher education.
"To address this issue, it is essential to provide financial assistance and support to deserving students who face financial constraints. Enhancing and increasing the number of scholarships, grants, and financial aid opportunities targeted explicitly at Muslim students can significantly alleviate the financial burden and help more deserving students access higher education," the report recommends.?
The report thus suggests inclusive policies and targeted support to help bridge the gap in Muslim students' education.??
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