India’s demographic dividend is often celebrated as the engine that will fuel its economic dominance in the 21st century. However, the true potential of this youth bulge relies entirely on the accessibility and quality of higher education. The newly released All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2023-24 report provides a vital reality check on this front, particularly through its data on the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education for the eligible age cohort of 18 to 23 years.

The GER acts as a primary barometer of developmental health, reflecting the percentage of young citizens who manage to cross the threshold of senior secondary school and enter colleges or universities. While the latest figures present a milestone with the national average touching a clean 30 per cent, a closer look at the data reveals deep regional imbalances, socioeconomic divides and structural obstacles that indicate the climb toward comprehensive educational equity remains steep. At the aggregate national level, the total Gross Enrolment Ratio stands exactly at 30 per cent, marking a steady progression in the country’s academic capacity.

A significant and encouraging highlight of this national baseline is the manifestation of gender parity in institutional entry. The female GER, recorded at 31.2 per cent, has comfortably outpaced the male enrolment ratio, which stands at 28.9 per cent. This structural shift indicates that social welfare policies, targeted scholarships and changing parental mindsets are successfully driving young women into higher learning spaces at a rate faster than their male counterparts.

However, this optimism faces a sharp reality check when the data is disaggregated along social lines. For Scheduled Caste (SC) categories, the total enrolment ratio drops to 27.8 per cent, with the gender trend persisting as females lead at 29.3 per cent against males at 26.4 per cent. The contraction becomes even more pronounced among........

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