Safety, distance, and dropouts: Can one girls’ hostel per district close STEM gender gap?

Safety, distance, and dropouts: Can one girls’ hostel per district close STEM gender gap? Premium

Keya (name changed) hails from Jewar in Uttar Pradesh and has long aspired to become an engineer. The nearest government institution offering an engineering degree is Gautam Buddha University, located nearly 50 km away. Jewar itself has one government college that offers science courses, but it does not provide engineering or advanced STEM programmes beyond a basic B.Sc. For Keya, this has meant daily travel to Greater Noida.

“Some buses from Jewar go towards Greater Noida, but the journey usually takes around two hours, depending on the route and traffic,” she says. “I usually get down at Zero Point and then take a shared auto-rickshaw to reach the university campus.” On certain days, she adds, special bus services connect Jewar to Greater Noida via Pari Chowk, around 42 km away, but these are infrequent and overcrowded.

The return journey is equally long. “From the university, I take a shared auto to Pari Chowk, which is the nearest major bus stand. From there, I catch a local bus towards Greater Noida and then another bus back to Jewar,” she explains. Most buses travel south along the Yamuna Expressway corridor and drop passengers near the Jewar toll plaza. “From there, I still have to take an auto-rickshaw to reach home.”

On most days, Keya spends close to three hours commuting one way. “In summer, the heat makes it exhausting; during the monsoon, buses get delayed or stop altogether,” she says. While the daily cost of buses and shared autos adds up, the greater toll, she notes, is physical fatigue. “By the time I return home, it's already dark. There's hardly any time or energy left to study.”

Keya admits that the long commute frequently tests her resolve to continue her studies. “I have no other alternative. I will try to find an affordable hostel near the campus during my final year,” she sighs.

The recent Union Budget announcement proposing one hostel per district for STEM students could significantly reduce journey times—particularly for women students, who often struggle to find safe and affordable housing near campuses during their final year of engineering, when extended lab access is critical for project work. A hostel built in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, for instance, could reduce Keya's travel time to the university to about one hour by public transport.

What is girls' hostel per district scheme in the recent Union budget?

In the Union Budget 2026–27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a plan to set up one girls' hostel in every district of India. This proposal aims to provide safe and accessible accommodation for female students, especially those pursuing higher education in STEM and other professional fields, helping reduce barriers related to distance, travel time, and safety that can deter women from continuing their studies. The initiative is part of a broader focus on strengthening education infrastructure and improving gender equity in access to higher education across the country.

From a policy perspective, does reframing hostels as infrastructure rather than welfare change their potential impact on enrolment and retention?

Professor Mona Khare, Dean at the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), says such measures are crucial. “It will go a long way in psychologically empowering women by integrating them into the mainstream student population, where their needs are formally recognised, planned for, and budgeted within basic infrastructural development.”

This structural intervention aims to address long-standing barriers of mobility and safety. By ensuring secure and supportive housing for women students, the initiative can be viewed as core educational infrastructure rather than merely a welfare scheme.

Gender Budgeting has been mandatory since 2004 and has consistently allocated funds for girls' hostels. “This year's Gender Budget has registered a 37.35% increase over 2024–25. The Department of Higher Education is among the top contributors, allocating 33.94% to the Gender Budgeting Statement, including ₹10 crore for the PM's Girls' Hostel Scheme,” Prof. Khare notes.

How can the planned expansion of hostels across districts address safety, access, and gender gaps in higher education, particularly in STEM?

“Data indicates that nearly 40% or more women drop out before completing their college degree, particularly at the undergraduate level. Safety concerns and inadequate infrastructure are among the major reasons for rising dropout rates as women move into higher education,” Prof. Khare explains. “Studies consistently point to distance from educational institutions and the lack of support systems as significant institutional barriers.”

She adds that the plan to build hostels in over 800 districts will require proactive participation from States to align with the Union Budget's announcement.

According to the AISHE 2021–22 report, Bengaluru Urban district has the highest number of colleges in the country, with 1,106 institutions. Reflecting this need, the Karnataka State Budget (2025–26) proposes setting up two post-matric hostels in every district—one for boys and one for girls—totalling 62 hostels statewide. These facilities are intended to improve residential access for students from backward classes pursuing engineering, medical, and other higher-education programmes.

Similarly, the Tamil Nadu State Budget (2025–26) proposes one girls' hostel in every district, acknowledging that accommodation shortages remain a constraint on access to higher education. It also announces the construction of three modern girls' hostels in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai, each with a capacity of 1,000 students, at an estimated cost of ₹275 crore. Tamil Nadu currently leads the country in female enrolment, recording the highest Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER).

At the national level, Prof. Khare points out that women now outnumber men in higher education overall. However, stark course-wise disparities persist. “Women are more represented in social sciences, arts, and humanities, but remain significantly under-represented in STEM. Barely 30–32% of students enrolled in engineering and technical courses are women. This figure drops to about 12% in premier institutions such as the IITs. The Gender Parity Index in STEM is nearly half, which continues to be a matter of concern.”

She adds that parental concerns about safety often deter families from sending their daughters to other cities for higher education, even when they can afford it.

How do long commutes, lab hours, and campus infrastructure affect women's participation and performance in STEM courses, and can hostels or better residential access ease these challenges?

“We have a total student strength of 5,400 across all years and programmes, of which around 40% are women,” says Professor M. Ramesh, Principal of Mahendra Engineering College, Namakkal. “They typically opt for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Electronics and Communication, largely because they aspire to careers in the IT sector.”

He notes a post-COVID shift, with more women choosing Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the undergraduate level. “These students show a strong inclination towards research-oriented fields,” he observes.

STEM courses are heavily practice-oriented. Most engineering colleges keep core laboratories open until 8 p.m., while computer science labs are accessible until 10 p.m. on regular working days.

“According to my timetable, I have classes from 9 a.m. to 6 pm every day, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. How am I supposed to study?” asks Srishti Deshmukh, a first-year student at Chandigarh University, Mohali. “Many engineering students travel nearly four hours daily, to and from college.”

Professor Ramesh explains that his institution operates over 150 buses to support students from distant areas. “For day scholars, we run three buses at 6 p.m. and one at 8 p.m., covering a 20-km radius. Typically, by the third year, students try to find accommodation closer to the campus to reduce travel time.”

However, he believes commuting has not been a major cause of dropouts among women students at his college. “Each year, only about two to three students drop out, mostly due to financial constraints. In such cases, the administration steps in to support them. We also have a dedicated girls' hostel that accommodates 800 of our 1,600 women students.”

Which districts and institutions will benefit most from new girls' hostels, and what factors will determine their effectiveness in improving women's access to higher education?

“The capacity of government colleges in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka is comparatively lower than in Tamil Nadu,” Professor Ramesh says. “Tamil Nadu has better infrastructure, spacious campuses, and well-equipped laboratories, which is why students from neighbouring states come here. Given our already high enrolment ratios, we may not see an immediate impact from new hostels.”

Prof. Khare, however, stresses that priority should be given to districts with persistently low women's enrolment in higher education. These include rural and predominantly agricultural districts, tribal and hilly regions, districts with higher SC/ST populations, educationally backward or aspirational districts, disaster-prone areas, and regions with difficult terrain.

“Equally important is the rapid development of hostels near industrial corridors and strong STEM institutions, so that talented and motivated women students can access affordable and safe accommodation,” she adds.

“The availability of girls' hostels instill confidence in both parents and students, enabling young women to step out of their homes and pursue their dream courses. The recent budget announcement to establish girls' hostels in every district is therefore laudable and has the potential to significantly improve access to quality higher education. However, its success will depend on timely implementation, appropriate location, effective maintenance, and the availability of trained and adequate hostel staff,” Prof. Khare concludes.

Are district-level hostels the most effective way to improve women's access to higher education, or would college-level hostels and better campus infrastructure better meet students' needs?

“The proposal to establish girls' hostels in every district is a positive step toward increasing women's participation in higher education. However, it might be more effective to provide hostels at every college, or at least at larger colleges that attract students from neighboring towns and villages. District-level hostels, such as those at district headquarters, may be more useful for working women rather than college students,” says Jandhyala B G Tilak, Former Professor & Vice Chancellor, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration

“Given that most districts now have a substantial number of colleges—on average 55–60 per district—the challenge may lie less in hostel availability and more in overall college infrastructure, including adequate faculty and internal transport facilities. Many families still prefer that their daughters commute from home rather than stay in hostels, viewing it as both safer and more economical. This preference applies not only to girls but often to boys as well,” says Jandhyala B G Tilak.

What could limit the effectiveness of this scheme?

Santhosh Babu, retired IAS officer and head of the “Work Near Home” project for the Kerala government, reflects on earlier initiatives, “In 2006, we organised a science exhibition in Krishnagiri with support from AID India for rural students. The students, especially girls, were fascinated by the experiments. This initiative also helped reintegrate around 10,000 children into the formal school system.”

Commenting on the new STEM hostel scheme, he adds, “This initiative is a significant boost for students aspiring to STEM education, providing them with opportunities and encouragement. The government is creating circumstances to provide an equal platform for the rural students. However, it is essential to simultaneously strengthen campus infrastructure with modern technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and highly qualified faculty. Equally important is building students' skills and, more importantly, nurturing curiosity and a love for learning in young minds.”

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Published - February 10, 2026 07:46 pm IST

education / gender / higher education

Source: TheHindu
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