PRAYAGRAJ, April 9 -- Marking a significant shift from its traditionally public-driven system, higher education in Uttar Pradesh is steadily moving towards privatisation. Data from the state's higher education department indicates a sharp rise in the number and influence of private institutions across the state. Currently, Uttar Pradesh has 216 government-run and 330 government-aided degree and postgraduate colleges. In contrast, private institutions dominate the sector, with over 7,500 colleges in operation. This means private colleges outnumber public ones by nearly 14-15 times, underlining the growing role of non-government players. The university landscape reflects a similar trend. The state's higher education system includes 24 state universities, one open university, and one deemed university, while the private sector operates 52 universities-double the number of state universities. A comparison with the 2018-19 academic session further highlights this expansion. The number of private colleges has increased by around 1,000, rising from 6,531 to over 7,500. During the same period, private universities have nearly doubled, growing from 27 to 52. Officials in the higher education department are also focused on improving the gross enrolment ratio (GER), which currently stands at about 27%. The state aims to raise this figure to 50% by 2035. Given Uttar Pradesh's status as the most populous state in the country, many experts believe it is not feasible to provide higher education to all youth solely through government institutions. This growing demand and increased awareness about education have led to a surge in private participation. Although the state government opened 46 new government colleges in the previous academic session, the total number of such institutions has reached only 216. Amit Bhardwaj, former state higher education director, said the government is committed to ensuring access to education. "The expansion of private colleges and universities is helping bridge the gap in capacity and benefiting students across the state," he added. However, academicians caution that the rapid rise of private institutions raises important questions about accessibility, cost, quality and the long-term impact on the education system. "Expansion alone cannot be the benchmark of progress as what matters equally is whether education remains affordable, equitable and capable of maintaining consistent academic standards over time," said Prof MP Dube, noted political scientist, former vice-chancellor of Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University and former professor of Allahabad University....