Economic Status, Access to Higher Education and the Role of the State

This paper highlights the gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education by economic groups using data from the survey on Household Social Consumption: Education conducted by the National Sample Survey Office during the 75th round (2017–2018). We find that the GER of the youth belonging to poor households is very low. Besides, more than two-thirds of them have not completed Class XII, which is the threshold level needed to pursue higher education. It follows that promoting higher education by focusing only on the tertiary level will not achieve the desired effect unless the secondary level is supported and promoted just like the elementary level.