First Year Arts Enrolment Plummets 54 Percent In Mumbai University Aided Colleges
First-year student enrolment in traditional undergraduate arts courses at aided colleges affiliated with Mumbai University in Mumbai has plummeted by 54% over the past 15 years. Data from the university also reveals that commerce admissions dropped by nearly 20% during the same period, while science enrolment recorded an increase of nearly 11%.
Educationists and experts view these declining figures as a sign of the gradual erosion of public higher education institutions. These colleges have historically provided accessible education, and the decline is expected to disproportionately affect students from lower social and economic backgrounds who cannot afford expensive private colleges.
Experts attribute the steady decline to outdated syllabi, vacant teaching posts, a cumbersome faculty appointment process, and a lack of academic standards. Additionally, there is a growing appeal for specialized, industry-oriented programs that offer better employment prospects.
Fr Frazer Mascarenhas, the former principal of St Xavier’s College, expressed concern over the trend. He stated that society has become so technical that it no longer recognizes the importance of the humanities, which develop perspectives and social skills that technical education cannot provide. He warned that the trend indicates a progress toward a technocratic society that does not necessarily feel fulfilled.
A former Mumbai University vice-chancellor noted that the decline in aided programs is largely due to a failure to change with the times. He pointed out that while universities elsewhere have reinvented the humanities through liberal arts programs, local aided colleges continue to offer traditional subject combinations. He added that colleges are struggling because teaching posts remain vacant, while the procedure for appointing faculty remains archaic and cumbersome.
S S Mantha, the former chairperson of the All India Council for Technical Education, noted that students are increasingly seeking degrees with clear connections to employment, such as artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, business analytics, and digital marketing. He highlighted that a rapid increase in private, skill, and deemed universities, as well as autonomous colleges and online education providers over the past decade, has increased competition for traditional degree programs.
