Published Jul 24, 2026 | 5:40 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 24, 2026 | 5:40 PM
File photo of Lok Sabha. (Screengrab)
Synopsis: The Ministry of Education on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that Tamil Nadu has been registering improvement in the number of students enrolling for higher education, well past the national average, despite the state’s opposition to the National Education Policy.
Tamil Nadu has continued to register improvements in higher education enrolment despite its long-standing opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, according to data shared by the Union Ministry of Education in the Lok Sabha.
Responding to an unstarred question by DMK MP Dr. S. Jagathratchakan on the expansion of the higher education ecosystem under NEP, the Ministry said Tamil Nadu’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education increased from 44.6 in 2014-15 to 52.3 in 2023-24. During the same period, student enrolment in the State rose from 33.53 lakh to 35.77 lakh.
The figures place Tamil Nadu well ahead of the national average GER, which increased from 23.7 in 2014-15 to 30 in 2023-24.
Across the country, higher education enrolment grew from 3.42 crore to 4.5 crore, a rise of 31.5%, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE).
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The parliamentary reply comes against the backdrop of Tamil Nadu’s continued refusal to implement NEP 2020, with the State government maintaining that its existing education model has delivered strong educational outcomes and opposing key provisions of the policy, including the three-language formula.
The Union government, however, reiterated that it is expanding access to higher education through initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA), under which 613 projects worth ₹8,168.51 crore have been approved to strengthen universities and colleges, particularly in educationally unsfderserved regions.
It also highlighted that the number of registered higher education institutions across the country has increased from 51,534 in 2014-15 to 64,756 in 2023-24.
While the question sought details on the expansion of higher education in line with NEP 2020, the Ministry’s reply did not attribute Tamil Nadu’s improvement in enrolment or GER specifically to the policy, instead presenting the latest AISHE data and ongoing central initiatives to expand higher education across the country.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
