MHRD PIB: ACCESS, EQUITY AND QUALITY ARE FOCUS OF NEW INITIATATIVES IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Update: One thing new in this is the proposal to establish 10 new NITs.
From http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=31735.
Access, Equity and Quality are focus of new initiatives in Higher Education as per the meeting of the Consultative Committee relating to the Ministry of Human Resource Development which took place earlier today. The meeting chaired by Shri Arjun Singh, Minister for HRD, discussed new initiatives for the 11th Plan in the higher education sector. The Minister for HRD briefed the members on the proposals from the Ministry that had been discussed in the Full Meeting of the Planning Commission. Shri Singh mentioned that the proposed initiatives would not be ready for implementation till the formal approvals of the Planning Commission and the National Development Council (NDC). Members were also informed that while the 10th Plan outlay for higher education, including technical education was approximately Rs.9500 crores, the Ministry was hopeful of getting an outlay several times higher for its Central Plan proposals.
The 11th Plan objectives are aimed at increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio(GER) (access rate) in higher education from the present 10% to 15% by 2012, while ensuring improvement in quality and enhancement of equity. Acknowledging that States’ share in Plan outlay being roughly four times the Central plan outlay, co-opting States to contribute substantially would be critical to the achievement of the Plan objectives. The Ministry’s proposal for the 11th Plan accordingly include incentives to States to allocate higher resources to colleges and universities, partial assistance to setting up of colleges of excellence in as many as 370 districts with low GER and less than four colleges per one lakh of population, special assistance for institutions in 88 minority concentration districts, substantially higher allocation for establishing women’s hostels in order to rectify gender bias in enrolment, removal of regional imbalances through the establishment of 30 new central universities – sixteen of which would be in States which have no Central University at present.
Members were informed that the Central Government has already approached the State Governments to suggest alternative locations in regard to the new Central Universities and the Ministry in consultation with the Planning Commission and the UGC was in the process of working out the concept of world ‘class universities’. The proposals include higher level of assistance to State universities and colleges and also assistance from the UGC to the nearly 150 State universities and 6000 colleges which are not being assisted at present, in order to plug the quality gaps identified by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The Committee was also apprised of other new institutions proposed to be created such as the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University for which a Bill has already been introduced in Parliament, the proposed Workers’ Technical University, introduction of Medical & Engineering Faculties in all Central Universities, the proposed Inter-University Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education, the proposed new Indian Institutes of Technology, the proposed new Indian Institutes of Science Education & Research and Research, Schools of Planning & Architecture, etc..
New initiatives in Technical Education include expansion and upgradation of 200 State Technical Institutions selected on the basis of appropriate criteria; expansion of centrally funded institutions (IITs, IIMs, NIITs, IIITs and NITTTRs (as per Oversight Committee recommendations for inclusion, expansion and excellence); strengthening departments/institutes of management and business administration in university system in view of increased demand for MBAs and limitations of IIMs to expand capacity and also affordability and setting up of new institutions in the XIth Plan (Eight IITs, Seven IIMs, Five IISERs, Two SPAs, 10 NITs, 20 IIITs, and 50 Centres for Training and Research in frontier areas) and also consider the feasibility of increasing the capacities of the existing IITs and IIMs by 200% or so.
Polytechnic education aims to create a pool of skilled manpower to support shop floor and field operations. It is proposed to give a big boost to Polytechnics whose present intake capacity is only about 2.5 lakhs as against 6 lakhs for degree level engineering courses. Ideally, there should be an intake capacity of over 20 lakhs in Diploma courses, even on a conservative basis, for 6 lakh Engineers. Therefore, subject to availability of funds, the Ministry is proposing that the XI Plan must aim to start at least about 1000 new Polytechnics (300 by State Governments, 300 in PPP mode and 400 by Private sector) which will result in the addition of about 2 lakh seats.
Regarding Open and Distance Learning, the Committee was informed that under the National Education Mission Government intends through ICT, to interconnect through Broad Band, all Institutions of national importance/excellence, over 375 universities and about 18600 colleges besides providing them specially generated e-learning material. For example, the e-content for over 150 courses prepared by National Project for Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) through the IITs and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, is already available to all the Institutions free of cost.
While complimenting the Government for these initiatives, members expressed the view that allocation of 6% of the GDP for the education sector was essential to implement these initiatives for which the State Governments would also have to be appropriately encouraged. Several innovative suggestions were also given by members; including the need to popularize ‘earn while you learn schemes,’ removal of disparity in quality between colleges in urban and rural areas, the need for the UGC to review its system of recognition for financial assistance so that more colleges could become eligible, optimum utilization of physical infrastructure through encouragement to evening colleges and working in shifts so as to increase the capacity of intake, need for improving teaching methodology in undergraduate courses in Arts and Sciences through use of multimedia and new pedagogical tools, etc.
Shri Chinta Mohan, Shri Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, Shri Rajendrasinh G. Rana, Dr. Vallabhbhai Kathiria, Km. Bhavana P. Gawali, Shri Haribhau Jawale and Shri Babulal Marandi from Lok Sabha and Shri Raashid Alvi, Prof. P.J. Kurien, Ms. Kanimozhi, Shri Krishna Lal Balmiki and Dr. Ram Prakash from Rajya Sabha attended the meeting.
1 comment October 8th, 2007
