Women still underrepresented in higher education leadership, holding just 11% of VC posts: Report
New Delhi: Despite women forming a significant share of the workforce in the education sector, their representation in top leadership remains alarmingly low. Data reportedly shows that only 11.18% of universities in India have women Vice-Chancellors (VCs).
“Out of 1,073 universities under the ambit of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), just 120 have women VCs,” The New Indian Express quoted Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General of AIU, as saying. Of these, 16 positions are in universities where the VC post is exclusively reserved for female candidates. India has around 1,200 universities, with nearly 90% affiliated with the AIU.
While women are increasingly taking up mid-level leadership roles, such as Heads of Departments or Controllers of Examinations, the top post remains elusive. However, according to Mittal, the current situation marks a notable improvement from three years ago, when only 7% of universities had women VCs.
Prominent institutions currently with women VCs presently include JNU, Dr Ambedkar University Delhi, Kashmir University, Allahabad University and Chaudhary Charan Singh University (formerly Meerut University), Dr Hari Singh University (Sagar University), added the report.
Among states, Uttar Pradesh leads with 19 women VCs across its 84 universities. Tamil Nadu with 11 VCs in its 56 universities and Maharashtra with 10 women out of 79 universities take the second and third positions.
Highlighting the importance of gender-inclusive leadership, Mittal noted that women VCs often lead with a strong sense of purpose, championing initiatives that promote gender equity, mental health, student well-being, inclusive decision-making, and social responsibility. “Their presence sends a powerful message: that leadership can be both strong and compassionate,” she said.
However, invisible barriers and systemic biases continue to shape the path for women in higher education—as students, faculty, or aspiring leaders. “To break these barriers, institutions must move beyond symbolic gestures and commit to genuine, people-centric reforms,” she stressed.
Mittal addressed these concerns in her concept paper, Promoting Women-Led Development for Viksit Bharat, presented during the second national conference of women Vice-Chancellors recently held in Jharkhand.
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BJP's Pravesh Wahi elected MCD mayor
New Delhi (PTI): BJP councillor from Rohini East, Pravesh Wahi, was elected mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday.
Wahi secured 156 votes, with 14 councillors of the Indraprastha Vikas Party backing him. Congress candidate Hazi Zaraf received nine votes.
BJP councillor from Anand Vihar, Monika Pant, was elected deputy mayor with 156 votes.
Jai Bhagwan Yadav from Begumpur and Manish Chadha from Paharganj were elected to the standing committee from the BJP, while AAP councillor Jalaj Chaudhary from Shalimar Bagh was also elected to the MCD panel.
On being elected mayor, Wahi thanked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the BJP leadership, saying, "We will clean Delhi in the coming months. We will work for the development of Delhi."
The electoral college for this year's mayoral election comprised 273 votes, including 249 councillors, 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly, seven Lok Sabha MPs and three Rajya Sabha members from Delhi. A candidate required 137 votes to win.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) abstained from the mayoral polls. Earlier, the party's Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a statement that the move would allow the BJP to take charge of the civic body and help AAP "expose" the ruling party on governance.
"Despite having power at all levels, the BJP has failed to bring about any change in Delhi. The BJP does not know how to perform. Only AAP knows how to work," Bharadwaj said.
Earlier, AAP controlled the mayoral post, with Mahesh Kumar Khinchi winning the election in November 2024 by just three votes.
The three civic bodies -- East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) -- were reunified into a single entity on May 22, 2022, as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
