Enrolment of women in distance learning programmes in Maharashtra fell in the academic year 2021-22, a year after registering unprecedented growth in the pandemic academic year 2020-21.
AISHE report notes dip in female enrolment after c
The number of female students in courses offered in distance mode had more than tripled from 1.05 lakh in 2019-20 to 3.35 lakh in 2020-21, when the regular colleges were moved online because of the pandemic, according to the latest edition of the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE).
However, this figure dropped to 2.69 lakh in 2021-22, according to the AISHE 2021-22 report published by the Union Ministry of Education. The fluctuation was more stark in post-graduation programmes than undergraduate courses, according to the report.
Trend in contrast with the national picture
The trend is in contrast with the national picture, where the female enrolment in distance learning programmes had dipped from 19.05 lakh in 2019-20 to 18.05 lakh and then bounced back to 18.41 lakh in 2021-22.
It is also at variance with the trajectory of the state's female enrolment in regular courses, which grew marginally from 17.14 lakh pre-Covid to 17.18 lakh in the pandemic year, before climbing up to 17.64 lakh later.
The enrolment of males in higher education institutes in Maharashtra witnessed a more steady growth during this period in both distance and regular courses across all levels of education.
Against this backdrop and with a sharp dip in the number of women in distance learning programmes, the overall female enrolment in the state dipped by around 0.94%, while male enrolment surged by 2.04%, resulting in a total enrolment growth of 0.7%. This compares poorly with the national growth in higher education enrolment of 4.56%.
State’s gender parity index also dips
The drop in female enrolment also caused the state’s gender parity index (GPI or ratio of female to male students) to dip from 0.92 in 2020-21 to 0.9 in 2021-22. The national GPI, which stood at 1.05, also came down to the 2017-18 level of 1.01.
The unusual rise in the number of women enrolling in distance learning programmes during the pandemic was a result of a lack of employment and matrimonial opportunities, according to experts. “Most of the women pursuing distance learning programmes are the ones who do small-time jobs, especially in urban areas. However, many of them lost their jobs because of Covid and were stuck at home,” said Sanjeev Sonawane, vice chancellor of Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, the state's largest distance learning institute.
"Some others were awaiting to get married and hence decided to enrol in PG courses. However, as soon as the restrictions were eased, there was a surge in weddings, resulting in a significant drop-out among women," Sonawane said.
The new stringent norms for distance learning brought by the University Grants Commission are also to be blamed for low enrolment levels, according to Vinod Malale, deputy registrar (public relations) at the University of Mumbai's Distance and Open Learning Institute. “The new norms brought distance learning courses at par with the regular ones. While regular students study compulsively, education is more of an optional pursuit for distance learning students,” he said.
