Enrolment ratio in higher education to be almost doubled in 10 years: HRD Minister

Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Sunday said the government has set an ambitious target of achieving a 50 per cent gross enrolment ratio (GER) as compared to the current 26.5 per cent in higher education by 2030 to equip the working population with employable skills.

The minister was speaking at a function in which he felicitated 87 meritorious students from across the country here on the Republic Day.

An official release said Pokhriyal highlighted that India has one of the world's largest education systems with over 1000 universities, 40,000 colleges, 10725 standalone institutes, more than one crore teachers, 16 lakh schools and 34.6 million (34.6 crore) students.

He added that India has largest number of youth population and this strength can make the country a global superpower and an economic giant.

"The government has set an ambitious target of achieving a 50 per cent gross enrolment ratio compared to the current 26.5 per cent in higher education by 2030 to equip its working population with employable skills," he said.

The minister said some scholars have described education as "parasmani", which is an excellent universal means of achieving the goal and purpose of life.

He said the government is committed to providing quality innovative education to all students which pave the way for multi-faceted development. The Minister extended his best wishes to the students in the coming examinations.