In view of the increasing presence of foreign universities in the country and competition in global rankings (Higher Education Reform India) Central government Has accelerated steps towards strengthening higher educational institutions.
The Ministry of Education has started work on five and ten year plans to make Indian universities and colleges internationally competitive.
The objective of these plans is to put the country’s higher educational institutions at par with foreign universities and to increase the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of higher education to 50 percent by the year 2035. At present this ratio is around 29 percent.
This initiative has been expedited at a time when the process of creating a single regulator by merging several regulators related to Higher Education (Higher Education Reform India) has not yet been completed.
However, this was announced in the new National Education Policy (NEP) implemented in the year 2020. The Ministry of Education believes that before the formation of a single regulator, it is necessary to effectively implement other key initiatives of the NEP in higher educational institutions of the country.
These initiatives include arrangements like facility to drop and restart the courses, introduction of new courses as per the needs of the industries, promotion of research and innovation, inclusion of Indian knowledge tradition in the courses and permission to pursue two degree courses simultaneously.
According to ministry officials, at present these facilities are applicable only to a limited number of central universities, whereas about 1200 universities and about 50 thousand colleges are operating in the country.
Keeping this in mind, the Central Government in collaboration with the states is preparing five and ten year development plans for each university. Through these schemes, emphasis will be laid on improving the educational quality, research capacity and employability of the institutions.
Focus on new courses as per local needs
Special attention will be given to enhancing the capacity of higher education institutions (Higher Education Reform India) as well as introducing courses in demand at the local level. For example, universities located in tourism areas will be encouraged to start new courses related to tourism and hospitality.
For this, area-wise needs are being mapped in collaboration with the industry. Financial assistance and expert support will also be provided to the institutions to implement the planned schemes, especially the colleges in rural and remote areas.
Bill on single higher education regulator soon in Parliament
A bill to establish a single higher education regulator is likely to be introduced in Parliament next week. This proposal has received the approval of the Union Cabinet. Earlier it was known as the Higher Education Commission (HECI) Bill, but now it has been named the Developed India Education Superintendence Rules.
This new law will replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). However, medical and law colleges will be kept out of its scope. The objective of the proposed system is to make universities more autonomous and self-reliant.
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