ABSTRACT
The social, economic and scientific development of a country depends crucially on the quality of human resources, for which the higher education sector plays a key role. Even as India celebrates its demographic dividend with a large young population, it is crucial to ensure that the requisite skills and knowledge acquisition are easily accessible to Indians from all parts of the country. There are two important types of data: administrative data and survey data. Administrative data is that which is reported by the providers of education to the government or the regulator, and survey data is that which is reported by households/users of education services. A multiplicity of government agencies in the higher education sphere have led to parallel data collection mechanisms, duplication of efforts and resources and a lack of a clear distinction and definitional consistency between different sources.
