Number of Students in HEI is a matter of concern: AICTE Chairman

TG Sitharama AICTE Chairman showed concern for the number of students enrolled in HEI. He said despite a large number of students enrolled for school education, it does not translate into Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) in the country. The trend is a worrisome, TG Sitharaman at the convocation of Bengaluru City University (BCU) on Saturday.

He further explained that around 25 crore students are enrolled in school, but unfortunately out of this only 28.3 students enroll in the Higher Education Institution .Any developed country needs to have more than 85 per cent of its students enrolling themselves to HEIs, and complete their education. This is a challenge, but the government plans to have at least 50 per cent of the Gross Enrollment Ratio in colleges by 2035,” Sitharaman said.

There are  only 1,100 universities and 45,000 colleges, the ministry can serve only about 4.3 crore students. “We need to double the educational network and infrastructure in the country in the years to come,” he said and added that digital technologies need to be leveraged.

He said this is the era of technological disruption, there is a need for students to focus on critical thinking and constant upskilling, he explained.

TG Sitharaman said Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI are transforming various aspects of our lives and may impact job security, but we must embrace them and adapt, for sustainable growth,” Sitharaman said