Quality and Efficiency Mapping of Indian Higher Education through DEA: Implications for Regional Policy

Abstract

When it comes to the development and progress of an economy, the education sector serves as the primary foundation supporting sustainable growth. Through higher education, individuals are transformed into skilled human resources, enabling their effective integration into society and the workforce. In recent years, considerable attention has been directed toward examining the efficiency and quality of higher education institutions, particularly in the context of the rising demand for high-quality education in India. Ensuring academic excellence requires a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted challenges related to both quality enhancement and efficient resource utilization faced by higher education institutions (HEIs) across Indian states and Union Territories (UTs). This study employs the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach to assess the quality-oriented efficiency of higher education in Indian states and UTs for the years 2011, 2015, and 2021. By incorporating both human and non-human resources as inputs, the DEA model evaluates how effectively these resources are transformed into educational outcomes, thereby providing insights into the quality and efficiency performance of higher education across regions.