Bengaluru Urban tops for maximum colleges in country

Bengaluru Urban has the largest number of educational institutions in the country with 880 colleges, a survey by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has revealed.

The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2018-19, released by Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal recently in New Delhi, has put the district on the top of the chart for the fourth consecutive year.

One cause for concern, however, has been the steady reduction in the number of institutions in the district. In 2007-08, for instance, the district had 893 colleges, itself a decline from AISHE 2016-17 that recorded the number of colleges in the district as 1,025. In 2015-16, it was 970.

Officials of the state department of higher education said some colleges have been closed down in the past few years. “Colleges that were given permission haven’t started to operate, while some have closed down this year,” a senior department official averred.

Following Bengaluru Urban, Jaipur has come second by a fair distance, with 566 colleges. The survey includes government colleges, universities, private colleges, standalone institutions and even institutions offering professional courses. Conducted online, the survey had nodal officers to upload the data into the portal dedicated to AISHE.

In terms of state-wise data for colleges, Karnataka has emerged as the third in the country after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. These states have over 28 colleges for one lakh people.

With 3,670 colleges, Karnataka has 53 institutions for a population of one lakh, the survey has revealed.