Professional education remains a less preferred area for girl students as 85 per cent of them enroll in conventional streams of Arts, Science and Commerce, according to the annual report of the Union HRD Ministry released on April 13, 2010. The number of girl students enrolled in different streams in 2009-10 stands at 56,49,102. Of them, only 15 per cent prefer professional courses like engineering, medicine, technology, law, veterinary science and agriculture.
Nearly 49 per cent girl students have enrolled in Arts stream followed by 20 per cent in Science and 16 per cent in Commerce, the report said. However, only five per cent of them are in Engineering stream while 3.5 per cent have taken up Medicine.
The percentage of total enrolment of women is highest in Goa (59 per cent) and lowest in Bihar (30 per cent), it said. In absolute number, Uttar Pradesh accounts for the highest enrolment (eight lakh) followed by Maharashtra (7.8 lakh).