The report, “The State of Higher Education in India since 2014″, also says the Union government’s share of the total budget spent on higher education has stayed around 1% for nearly two decades. It had reached 1.6% in FY18 but has since fallen. The report has recommended increasing it to 1.5%.
At the same time, the number of universities increased from 723 in FY14 to 1,289 in FY24. The number of colleges rose from 36,634 to 48,246 and standalone institutions increased from 11,664 to 15,221.
Of the 1,289 universities in FY24, 733 were managed by the government, while the rest were private. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka are among the states with the largest number of higher education institutions. The top five states together account for 34% of all universities, 54% of colleges and 60% of standalone institutions.
The number of teachers has also increased. India had 13.7 lakh teachers in 2013-14 and this number rose to 17.3 lakh in 2023-24. Women make up 45% of the teaching workforce. But the number of students per teacher is very different from one state to another.
The average pupil-teacher ratio is 23 students for one teacher. Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa have the lowest ratio at 14 students per teacher. Bihar has the highest at 57 students per teacher.
The report says this gap needs to be reduced. A parliamentary committee had earlier suggested that 15 students per teacher should be the ideal ratio for higher education.
The report has also looked at vocational training for young people. In FY24, 30.7% of Indians aged 15 to 29 received vocational training. This was only 7.1% in FY18. The number has increased, but India is still behind many developed countries.
The report also wants colleges and universities to work more closely with companies. It has called for more money to be spent on research and development. It says companies should also take part in research and education. They should not only ask the government to change policies.
However, there is a huge gap in fees between private and public universities. The report says fees at some private universities can be as high as six times India’s Net National Income, while the figure is around 0.4 times NNI at a leading Delhi University college. It has suggested a more rational fee structure for students who can afford to pay more.
The report has also suggested changes to the National Testing Agency, or NTA. The agency conducts exams such as JEE Main and NEET-UG. By July 2024, the NTA had conducted more than 240 exams for over 5.4 crore candidates.
The report says the NTA currently works as a registered society. There is no separate law clearly defining its duties and the rights of students taking its exams. It also says 171 out of 194 NTA personnel whose details were available in July 2024 were contractual or outsourced workers.
The report has suggested a separate law for the NTA. It wants Parliament to clearly define the agency’s duties and responsibilities. It also wants an expert board to oversee exams, technology, security and companies working with the NTA.
The report has also suggested considering a “right to free and fair education” under Article 21 of the Constitution.
