In India, female enrollment in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) courses has increased significantly over the years. Dr Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education, recently presented this information in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
The surge in female enrollments was the consequence of different government initiatives, according to the minister.
In 2014, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) created the Pragati Scholarship and TechSaksham Program (TSP) for Women to provide scholarships to deserving female students. The award was designed to encourage students to seek higher education.
Through the Pragati program, the council will grant 10,000 scholarships to girls pursuing technical education.
The TechSaksham Program was established with the goal of developing employability skills among marginalized female students seeking higher education via practical learning.
In addition, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been directed to provide supernumerary seats in the undergraduate program in order to increase female enrollment in these courses. As a result of the plan, female enrollment has climbed from 8% in 2018-19 to 20% in 2020-21.
Female enrollment in STEM courses has grown from 38.4 percent in 2014-15 to 42.6 percent in 2021-22 (Provisional), according to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE).
According to World Bank Gender Data accessible in 2023, the female proportion of STEM graduates as a percentage of tertiary education in India (2018) is 42.7%, in US (2016) is 34%, in UK (2016) is 38.1%, in Australia (2017) is 32.1% and in Germany (2017) is 27.6%.
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