Vasan happy about more and more women pursuing higher education

Enrolment of women in higher education has increased in the country, said G.K. Vasan, Union Minister for Shipping, here on Saturday. Delivering the first convocation address at Gnanam School of Business (GSB), Mr. Vasan said that when India became independent, participation of women in education was limited and those who graduated annually were very few. But in 2011, the total number of students enrolled in the universities and colleges was reported at 1.46 crore, out of which enrolment of women students stood at 60.80 lakh constituting 41.60 per cent of the total enrolment, Mr. Vasan said. The UPA Government at the Centre had taken various initiatives to develop higher education in the country. The budgetary allocation for education had been increased from Rs. 61,407 crore in 2012-13 to Rs. 65,857 crore for 2013-14. Under the 12th Plan, the focus on higher education is on three Es, namely Expansion, Equity and Excellence with greater thrust on improving the quality of education. The Union Government had taken steps to create six new Central Universities and three new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Under the National Mission on Education as on April 31, 2013, internet connectivity had been provided to 400 universities and 20,117 colleges in the country, Mr. Vasan said. Today, the UPA Government had brought in the Right to Education, which makes every child between the age of six and 14 entitled to education irrespective of their economic background, Mr. Vasan added. Later, he distributed MBA degrees to graduates and distributed Raja Raja Cholan award and Casimir Raj award to outstanding students.