| Monday, October 22, 2007
Higher education: the real picture
True access to higher education in rural areas depends on budgetary
support to make the courses affordable to the majority
In Tamil Nadu, statistics and ground reality go together, at
least as far as the higher education system goes. With the Human
Resources Ministry’s report detailing the pitfalls in
access to higher education for socially disadvantaged sections,
Education Plus does a case study of select regions in three
districts other than Chennai, to study the picture behind the
data.
In Madurai, the enrolment scenario has picked up and reflected
the general trend in the State which stood at 17 per cent ,
which was above the national average, according to V. Swaminathan,
Joint Director of Collegiate Education, Madurai region.
College principals say this academic year saw buoyant interest
from students, after the government introduced measures such
as shift system in government arts colleges, waiving of tuition
fees and free bus passes.
“Additional shift means that we can accommodate more students,
especially those from rural areas,” says R. Devadoss,
principal of Government Arts College, Melur (Madurai district).
According to M. Chinnan, principal, Muthuramalinga Thevar College
at Usilampatti, if college enrolment remained low, it did not
mean that students were financially unable to pursue education
after school. “Most youngsters in rural areas like ours
are going for jobs in police, military and in private companies.
They are generating incomes and cannot be termed dropouts,”
he says.
However, the SC/ST enrolment in the college, a government-aided
institution, came down sharply this year from 94 students last
academic year to 43 this year.
The introduction of additional shifts gave more seats for government
colleges and nearly 300 first-year students are now pursuing
courses.
Academicians here also have a few suggestions for increasing
enrolments: the government should come to the aid of colleges
offering self-financing courses. “Affordability is a major
issue. If the government converted self-financing courses to
aided stream and provide more funds, the fee structure would
change and students will come forward to pursue innovative courses,”
says Mr. Chinnan.
Musiri taluk in Tiruchi district presents a stark contrast to
the district headquarters which is a hub for higher education
and teems with arts and science colleges, engineering colleges,
and a medical college.
Of the 6,700 students belonging to 74 schools who appeared for
the SSLC public examinations here during 2006-2007, 5,915 students,
including 3,037 girls, secured pass marks; but there are only
35 higher secondary schools with a capacity to accommodate 4,327
students. Hence, barring a few hundred who could take up vocational
courses in community colleges, the rest were at a disadvantage.
Of the 4,327 students who appeared for the Plus-Two examinations
3,217 had secured pass marks. But the Musiri taluk that comprises
the blocks of Thottiyam, Musiri and Thuraiyur has only five
higher educational institutions: two engineering colleges, three
arts and science colleges and one B.Ed college.
Apart from the engineering colleges and the B. Ed college which
the poor cannot access, most of the students vie for the available
seats in the three arts and science colleges. The number of
aspirants shoots up further when the failed students who pass
the examinations in subsequent years are added.
With the self-financing arts and science being unaffordable
to the poor, nearly 2,000 Plus-Two students cannot access higher
education.
Arignar Anna Government Arts and Science College in Musiri and
the Nehru Memorial College at Puthanampatti provide some hope.
The introduction of shift system carries no relevance in the
Musiri college due to lack of infrastructure. The college has
to accommodate arts and science students in two sessions.
To improve the enrolment ratio, Bharathidasan University has
started identifying taluks in seven districts where students
have had to discontinue higher studies due to lack of opportunities.
In the most deserving taluks, the university will start constituent
colleges like the ones in Perambalur and Orthanad.
A total of 8.59 per cent of girls who completed their primary
education in Krishnagiri district for the year 2005-06 had dropped
out from schools due to various reasons. Of them, girls belonging
to SC/ST communities accounted for 7.59 per cent.
The dropout rate of girls in middle schools during the same
period was 13.44 per cent. Of them, SC/ST accounted for 15.38
per cent. In 2006-07, the dropout rate of girls in primary and
middle schools was 5.99 and 10.98 per cent respectively.
The dropout rate of SC/ST girls in primary and middle schools
respectively during the same period was 5.36 and 13.88 per cent
respectively. According to sources in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
(SSA), a total of 1,29,343 girls were enrolled in primary education
(Classes 1 to 5) in Krishnagiri district during 2005-06. The
enrolment of girls in middle schools during 2006-07 was 68,987.
Similarly a total of 56,456 girls were enrolled in higher secondary
schools in the district during 2007-08. The dropout ratio of
schedule caste girls in middle schools has shown a rising trend,
compared to enrolment in primary schools.
Courtesy: The Hindu - Education Plus
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