Demographic variations in basic science education in India: a case study of CSIR–UGC national eligibility test

This article explores the demographic variations in basic science education across the country on the basis of the CSIR–UGC national eligibility test (NET) held during the period 2002–2006. The states, representing different demographic zones, were ranked according to the number of qualifying students and the percentage selected. A simple scatter plot of selection versus enrolment shows that Delhi and West Bengal perform better than the norm, whereas Kerala and Tamil Nadu relatively underperform. The data envelopment analysis technique has been employed to further examine the relative efficiency of basic science education, in terms of the number of students qualifying NET in five subjects, viz. chemical sciences; earth, atmospheric, ocean and planetary sciences; life sciences; mathematical sciences, and physical sciences, across different states of the country. The position of a particular state on the efficiency frontier could serve as a measure of capacity building in these disciplines.