India’s higher education system saw a slight dip in Muslim student enrollment in 2021-22, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) Report. While 43,268,181 students were enrolled in higher education across India, only 2,108,033 were Muslim students, making up 4.87% of the total enrollment. This represents a decrease from 5.24% in 2019 and 5.5% in 2020.
Experts are concerned about the challenges that Muslim students face in accessing higher education. “The decrease in Muslim representation shows the barriers still present in the system, which need to be addressed for more inclusive education,” said an educational expert.
However, some regions show a higher participation of Muslim students in education. Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority area, has the highest proportion of Muslim students at 34.5% of the total enrollment, with 138,142 Muslim students. The region’s Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) stands at 24.8, reflecting moderate participation despite challenges.
In Ladakh, 25.8% of the student population is Muslim, though the region has the lowest GER at 11.5, indicating limited access to higher education.
States like Kerala show better representation, with Muslims constituting 14.36% of the student body, while Maharashtra and West Bengal report significant Muslim enrollments, with 3.38% and 12.33% respectively.
On the other hand, states like Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram have very low Muslim representation in higher education. “States like these need to focus on creating better educational opportunities for Muslim students,” said a local education activist.
