Enrollment in Higher Education: An Analysis of Inter-Caste Disparities in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Most states in India exhibit significant disparities in higher education enrollment, including Tamil Nadu. This study examines the extent of these disparities in Tamil Nadu by analyzing secondary data from the selected educational statistics of the MHRD, Government of India, over a ten-year period (2010-11 to 2019-20). The findings reveal that the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of higher education enrollment increased by 4.34per cent for Scheduled Caste (SC) students and 2.17per cent for Other Backward Classes (OBC) students, while it declined by 7.49per cent for other social groups during this period. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for SC and OBC students showed considerable improvement, whereas enrollment among other social groups decreased. Notably, a persistent gap remains between SC and Non-SC students in accessing higher education, though the disparity in GER has been narrowing due to the rapid rise in SC student enrollment over the past decade. The study recommends that the government implement stricter monitoring of admission processes in private higher education institutions, which have been growing rapidly in Tamil Nadu, to ensure equitable enrollment opportunities for SC students.