country’s first comprehensive survey on higher education, according to a
senior education official.
While there are reliable statistics about primary and secondary schools,
currently available numbers for higher education are severely
inadequate, said Sunil Kumar, additional secretary for higher education
at the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Addressing a conference organized by the Confederation of Indian
Industry late last month, he said the survey would map the number of
students according to their course of study. Preparations for the
exercise are due to be finalized early this year.
The survey is part of a drive by the government as it plans a
decade-long expansion to more than double the number of higher education
institutions in India. India’s education minister, Kapil Sibal, has
pledged to increase the proportion of students enrolled in colleges and
universities from 12.4 percent to 30 percent by 2020.
Experts have warned that sharply increasing capacity could affect the
quality of education. To address these and other concerns, the
government has introduced a bill to set up a new regulatory body, the
National Commission for Higher Education and Research.