Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Though the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the elementary level in schools in the state is higher than the national average, the GER for secondary, senior secondary, and higher education remains below the national average.
The Gross Enrolment Ratio, or Gross Enrolment Index, is a statistical measure used in the educational sector and by the UN in its Education Index to determine the number of students enrolled in school at several grade levels.
The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in elementary schools (Class I–VIII) in Assam during 2021–22 was 109.8 (national average 100.1), and in 2020–21 it was 104.5 (national average 97.8), while it was 107.4 (97.8 national average) during 2019–20, showing an increase over the national average. In secondary schools (Class IX–X), the GER during 2021–22 was 74.5, in 2020–21 it was 74.0, and it was the same in 2019–20 (74.0). Comparatively, in 2019–20 and 2020–21, the national average was 77.9 and stood at 79.6 in 2021–22, taking it above the GER in secondary schools in Assam.
However, the gross enrollment ratio in senior secondary schools in Assam is quite low, i.e., during 2020–21, it was 30.9 and increased to 40.1 during 2021–22. During 2021–22, the national average was 57.6, and in 2020–21, it was 51.4.
The gross enrolment ratio (GER) at the higher education level in Assam is very poor, as compared to the national average. According to the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE), 2021–22, which was published recently, the GER in Assam is 17.5%, against the national GER of 27.3%.
An official source said the state government is not at all happy with the performance of schools in Assam, and the education department held a series of meetings and conducted training courses to improve the situation. The main reason for the low GER in Assam is attributed to the non-uploading of current data on the AISHE portal. Now that the uploading of data by higher educational institutions has been completed, it is expected that the GER will display a number that is higher than the national average.
As per NEP 2020, the GER in higher education should be brought to at least 50%, so that India appears among the top five countries with a high GER in higher education. Following this, the Assam government is also targeting a similar GER in higher education.
With the start of the new academic session of 2024–25, the question arises as to whether the state can match the enrollment ratio at the secondary and senior secondary levels as well.
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