Govt plans to have 50 per cent students enroll higher education by 2035: AICTE

Pointing out that the country has 1,200 universities and 45,000 colleges, AICTE Chairman T G Sitharam said that though the number of students enrolling in higher education is increasing every year, it should be further increased.

New Delhi: All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Chairman T G Sitharam on Wednesday said that the government plans to have at least 50 per cent of students enroll for higher education by 2035.

"We have more than 25 crore students in schools, but only 29 per cent of the students enroll for higher education. Any developed country needs to have more than 85 per cent of its students enrolling themselves to higher education. The government plans to have at least 50 per cent of the Gross Enrollment Ratio in colleges by 2035,” Sitharam said.

He was addressing a gathering at the launch of 'the Digital Excellence for Growth and Enterprise', or 'Dx-EDGE', a platform to empower MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) with the tools, knowledge and ecosystem needed to become future-ready, competitive and resilient.

Dx-EDGE is a national initiative spearheaded by CII with the support of NITI Frontier Tech Hub (NITI FTH) and AICTE to drive digital transformation across India's MSMEs.

Pointing out that the country has 1,200 universities and 45,000 colleges, he said that though the number of students enrolling in higher education is increasing every year, it should be further increased.

Addressing the gathering, NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer B V R Subrahmanyam said that the government think-tank is working on a programme to improve India's penetration into global value chains for the growth of domestic MSMEs.

Observing that MSMEs are more affected by regulations than large companies, he said the prime minister has taken a major step towards deregulation and a task force under the cabinet secretary is working on it.

He also said the CII and NITI Frontier Tech Hub Dx-EDGE platform marks a transformative leap in India's digital journey, designed to empower MSMEs with cutting-edge technology and digital mastery.

By establishing a nationwide network of digital transformation facilitation centres, this initiative democratises access to skills and innovation, enabling MSMEs to scale sustainably, enhance global competitiveness, and play a pivotal role in realizing the Viksit Bharat vision, Subrahmanyam said.

CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee underlined the significance of MSMEs in the Indian economy and noted that this initiative, Dx-EDGE, will help bridge the gap in technology adoption in the segment.