Panaji: The number of individuals pursuing doctorate studies in Goa has gone up more than four times over the last five years from a mere 433 students in 2019-20 to 1,816 in 2023-24, as per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) released by the Union education ministry. Altogether, 32,630 students are now enrolled in higher education programmes in Goa, over 7,000 more than five years ago, states the report.Goa’s gross enrolment ratio (GER), which remains among the best in the country with 33.9% in the 18-23 age group pursuing higher education in the state, has also shown consistent improvement. It has gone up from 30.3% in 2019-20 to 33.9% five years later, as per the AISHE 2023-24 report.The state’s GER in higher education is higher than the national average of 30. Though Goa has one of the highest gross enrolment ratios in the country, under the National Education Policy (NEP), it is required to meet a GER of 50%, which means bringing half the population in the 18-23 age group within the fold of higher education. At present, 1.90 lakh youngsters in Goa fall in this age group.But what is particularly striking is that while Goa’s GER for female students has always been high, it has improved significantly for male students over five years. The GER for girls is up from 34.2 in 2019-20 to 36.7 in 2023-24, but for boys it has increased from bare 26.9 to 31.4 over the same period.“Among top states in terms of enrolment, Tamil Nadu, Keralam and Goa have the best pupil-teacher ratio of 14 (students taught per teacher) in all institutions,” the AISHE report states.The report also shows that Goa’s undergraduate enrolment has gone up from 15,641 in 2019-20 to 20,650 in 2023-24. Similarly, the postgraduate numbers have increased too from 4,938 to 6,741 over this period.There are also 3,087 students in Goa now undergoing integrated programmes like BA, BEd, from just 724 five years ago. Another 4,778 students are pursuing diploma courses, 574 students are enrolled in certificate programmes in Goa, and 189 in postgraduate diplomas, as per the report.
