HRD Ministry says males pursue PhDs more than females
What's the story
More than 21,000 more males pursue PhDs in the country than females, contrary to the popular perception, according to HRD Ministry data. For the last three years, the student enrolment in the PhD program has also increased. While 1,00,792 students enrolled for the PhD program in universities across India in 2014-15, the number of students registering in 2015-16 and 2016-17 was 1,09,552 and 1,23,712.
Enrollment
Maximum PhDs are enrolled in state public universities
In 2014-15, over 21,000 more males had enrolled in the PhD program than females. In the subsequent years, the number was higher by 21,688 and 21,882. The data revealed maximum PhDs are enrolled in the state public universities, followed by institutions of national importance. While 41,566 students enrolled in the state public universities for 2016-17, 26,012 had enrolled in institutions of national importance.
Data
Total 17,715 students registered for PhD in central universities
A total of 17,715 students had registered for PhD in central universities for the 2016-17 academic session whereas 16,595 of them enrolled in private universities. Similar trends were witnessed in the years 2014-15 and 2015-16.