The Gap
Tamil Nadu's overall Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education stands at 52.3, among the highest in the country, according to AISHE 2023-24 figures. Within Scheduled Tribe populations, however, male GER is 47.6 against female GER of 38.2 — a Gender Parity Index of 0.80, reported as the lowest among states.
The Contrast
The state's Scheduled Caste GPI is 1.04, meaning more women than men enrol. At the national level, the ST GPI is 1.08. Tamil Nadu's ST figure is therefore out of step both with its own record on other groups and with the all-India pattern for tribal students.
Possible Drivers
Academics cited distance from institutions, physical access to hill and forest habitations, and region-specific social and economic barriers as factors that may weigh more heavily on tribal women than on tribal men.