UGC grants now for private university students

Students in self-universities and colleges may soon be eligible for a large number of University Grants Commission (UGC) fellowships and scholarships that at present are open only to students from institutions receiving government grants. The UGC has proposed allowing students from private universities benefits like the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and the Post Graduate Merit Scholarship, top government officials revealed. The Indira Gandhi Scholarship for girls, the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) students, and post-doctoral fellowships for SC/ST candidates are some of the other UGC grants for which private college students will be eligible. “We are okay with this proposal. The more the number of beneficiaries, the better”, said a senior official of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

The MHRD had earlier turned down a proposal from the UGC to provide grants to private and self-financing institutions, the official said. The ministry had argued that the UGC should concentrate on funding government institutions apart from selective grants to private institutions for specific purposes. The UGC then revised its proposal to keep out direct grants to these institutions. Under the new proposal, the UGC will reimburse private and self-financing institutions the amount they provide as fellowships and scholarships to their students. Estimates suggest that tens of thousands of students study in private institutions at present. The government does not want to keep them outside the net of UGC benefits, sources said.

Source: Hindustan Times, July 9, 2010

UGC grants now for private university students

Students in self-universities and colleges may soon be eligible for a large number of University Grants Commission (UGC) fellowships and scholarships that at present are open only to students from institutions receiving government grants. The UGC has proposed allowing students from private universities benefits like the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and the Post Graduate Merit Scholarship, top government officials revealed. The Indira Gandhi Scholarship for girls, the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) students, and post-doctoral fellowships for SC/ST candidates are some of the other UGC grants for which private college students will be eligible. “We are okay with this proposal. The more the number of beneficiaries, the better”, said a senior official of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

The MHRD had earlier turned down a proposal from the UGC to provide grants to private and self-financing institutions, the official said. The ministry had argued that the UGC should concentrate on funding government institutions apart from selective grants to private institutions for specific purposes. The UGC then revised its proposal to keep out direct grants to these institutions. Under the new proposal, the UGC will reimburse private and self-financing institutions the amount they provide as fellowships and scholarships to their students. Estimates suggest that tens of thousands of students study in private institutions at present. The government does not want to keep them outside the net of UGC benefits, sources said.

Source: Hindustan Times, July 9, 2010

HRD Minister reaches out to plan panel for model schools

Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal is making last-ditch efforts to resolve differences between his ministry and the Planning Commission over a plan for public-private partnerships (PPP) in schooling that is struggling to take off three years after a prime ministerial announcement. HRD Minister Sibal has called a meeting on Friday of an expert panel for drafting a blueprint for PPP in schooling, to try and hammer out a consensus amid sharp differences.

The ministry has already drafted a note on the plan for the expenditure finance committee (EFC) but Gajendra Haldea, Advisor to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, has raised objections, top sources have told Hindustan Times. “Unlike Kamal Nath, the HRD minister appears keen to avoid a confrontation with the Planning Commission and instead work towards consensus”, a source said, referring to a comment on Monday by Roads and Transport Minister Nath that the plan panel was little more than an “armchair advisor”.

The plan revolves around a proposal to start 2,500 model schools through the PPP mode, announced by the PM in 2007 Independence Day speech. These schools are planned as exemplars for other nearby schools to model themselves on. But the government is yet to finalise even a blueprint for the PPP model schools with just two years left of the 11th Five Year Plan the project was meant for.

“If we fail to arrive at a consensus soon, the HRD ministry will have to take a call – either to ramrod a proposal, or to postpone the project at least till the 12th Five Year Plan”, a Planning Commission source said. A sub-group under Haldea had proposed a model for the PPP schools that is likely to cost over Rs. 150,000 crores (Rs. 1500 billion) over the next 18 years. This model was opposed by the ministry, which proposed an alternate model costing significantly less but also catering to fewer students.

Source: Hindustan Times, July 9, 2010

HRD Minister reaches out to plan panel for model schools

Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal is making last-ditch efforts to resolve differences between his ministry and the Planning Commission over a plan for public-private partnerships (PPP) in schooling that is struggling to take off three years after a prime ministerial announcement. HRD Minister Sibal has called a meeting on Friday of an expert panel for drafting a blueprint for PPP in schooling, to try and hammer out a consensus amid sharp differences.

The ministry has already drafted a note on the plan for the expenditure finance committee (EFC) but Gajendra Haldea, Advisor to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, has raised objections, top sources have told Hindustan Times. “Unlike Kamal Nath, the HRD minister appears keen to avoid a confrontation with the Planning Commission and instead work towards consensus”, a source said, referring to a comment on Monday by Roads and Transport Minister Nath that the plan panel was little more than an “armchair advisor”.

The plan revolves around a proposal to start 2,500 model schools through the PPP mode, announced by the PM in 2007 Independence Day speech. These schools are planned as exemplars for other nearby schools to model themselves on. But the government is yet to finalise even a blueprint for the PPP model schools with just two years left of the 11th Five Year Plan the project was meant for.

“If we fail to arrive at a consensus soon, the HRD ministry will have to take a call – either to ramrod a proposal, or to postpone the project at least till the 12th Five Year Plan”, a Planning Commission source said. A sub-group under Haldea had proposed a model for the PPP schools that is likely to cost over Rs. 150,000 crores (Rs. 1500 billion) over the next 18 years. This model was opposed by the ministry, which proposed an alternate model costing significantly less but also catering to fewer students.

Source: Hindustan Times, July 9, 2010