AISHE 2023-24 shows women outnumber men in Nagaland's higher education enrolment and faculty, with student numbers nearing 50,000
DIMAPUR — Women continue to dominate higher education in Nagaland, with female students and teachers outnumbering their male counterparts as the state's total enrolment touched nearly 50,000 in 2023-24, according to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE).
The survey, released by the Union Ministry of Education, shows that Nagaland recorded 49,924 students enrolled in higher education institutions during 2023-24, comprising 27,441 females and 22,483 males. The state has also witnessed a steady rise in enrolment over the past five years, increasing from 47,446 students in 2019-20 to 49,924 in 2023-24, despite minor year-to-year fluctuations.
Women continue to outnumber men by a significant margin, reflected in Nagaland's Gender Parity Index (GPI) of 1.33, considerably higher than the national average of 1.11. The GPI has also improved steadily from 1.30 in 2019-20, indicating sustained growth in female participation in higher education. A GPI above one signifies that female enrolment exceeds male enrolment.
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The state's Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education stands at 18.8 for the 18-23 age group, lower than the national average but showing continued participation in tertiary education. The GER for females is 21.3, significantly higher than the male GER of 16.5, highlighting stronger participation by women in colleges and universities.
Undergraduate programmes account for the largest share of enrolment with 34,925 students, followed by 12,734 postgraduate students and 2,265 Ph.D. scholars.
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The survey showed that Nagaland currently has six universities—one Central University, one Institute of National Importance, one State Public University and three State Private Universities. These include Nagaland University, National Institute of Technology Nagaland, ICFAI University Nagaland, St. Joseph University, The Global Open University Nagaland and North East Christian University.
The state also has 68 colleges, comprising 63 general colleges, four teacher education colleges and one law college, supporting higher education across Nagaland.
On faculty strength, Nagaland has 2,872 teachers in higher education institutions, including 1,690 women and 1,182 men, indicating that women also form the majority of the teaching workforce.