Negative growth in higher education for the second consecutive year raises concerns; college enrollment in Rajasthan records a 4.23% decline.

Jaipur: Negative growth in higher education for the second consecutive year has raised concerns, as classrooms are increasingly emptying amid the rise of the gig economy. College enrollment in Rajasthan has declined by 4.23%, according to an analysis of the Higher Education Department’s Annual Progress Report.

Enrollment in undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programs has fallen by 4.23% to 1.255 million students during the academic session. This marks the second consecutive year of negative growth in higher education. The surge in enrollment witnessed during the pandemic has now completely reversed. The sharpest decline has been among male students, with their enrollment dropping by 5.60%.

Rapidly expanding opportunities in the gig sector are drawing young people directly into the workforce instead of higher education. Udaipur division has emerged as an example of a high-enrollment, low-institutional-share model. Although it accounts for only 5.3% of the state’s colleges (207 institutions), it has a relatively high concentration of student enrollments.

The report also notes that, across Rajasthan, there are now 129 female students enrolled in higher education for every 100 male students, reflecting a significant gender shift in enrollment patterns.