Enrolment in higher education among Muslim students in the age group of 18-23 dropped by more than 8.5% in 2020-21, says a report prepared from the analysis of data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) and the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE).
While 21 lakh Muslim students had enrolled for higher education in 2019-20, the number fell to 19.21 lakh in 2020-21.
Arun C. Mehta, former Professor of National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, prepared the report, “The state of Muslim education in India”.
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“From 17,39,218 Muslim students enrolled in higher education in 2016-17, the number increased to 19,21,713 in 2020-21. However, in 2020-21, the Muslim enrolment in higher education declined to 19,21,713 students from 21,00,860 students in 2019-20, thus showing a decline of 1,79,147 students in absolute terms,” the report says.
The percentage of Muslim students enrolled in higher education relative to the total number of students enrolled also saw a slight decrease, falling from 4.87 in 2016-17 to 4.64 in 2020-21.
The report says that a significant trend that is observed across all States and Union Territories is that the enrolment percentage of Muslim students in Class 11 and 12 is lower than that in the previous classes. The representation of Muslim students starts declining gradually from Class 6 and is the lowest in Class 11 and 12.
“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.
States like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh have relatively low Gross Enrolment Ratio for Muslim students, which indicates that many Muslim children in these States are still out of the education system. Identifying and enrolling out-of-school children in age-appropriate classes should be a priority, the report recommends.
The report says that 18.64% of Muslim students enrolled in the secondary level drop out of schools, which is higher than the 12.6% dropout rate for all students.
Assam (29.52%) and West Bengal (23.22%) recorded high dropout rates among Muslim students, while Jammu and Kashmir recorded 5.1% and Kerala 11.91%.
“Implementing targeted support and inclusive policies can help bridge this gap and provide equal educational opportunities for all,” the report says.
Many Muslim students come from low-income families and struggle 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.
