Enrolment ratio in PG courses only 12%: UGC Chairman

University Grants Commission’s (UGC) Acting Chairman Prof. Ved Prakash has said only 12 per cent of graduates are seeking admission to postgraduate (PG) courses in various universities and institutions in the country and there are glaring regional imbalances in the enrolment of students in higher education. He was speaking at the 5th National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation ceremony. Prof. Prakash said only 1 per cent of postgraduate students enrol for research programme in various fields.

Plans to increase GER
The UGC had chalked out several plans to increase gross enrolment ratio (GER) of students (in the age group of 18 to 22) in higher education. He was optimistic of increasing the GER from the present 20 per cent to 30 per cent by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17). The enrolment of candidates for degree courses would be increased from the present 20 million to 29 million by the end of 12th Plan period. The number of students enrolled in distance education would go up from 4.6 million to 6.3 million by 2017, Prof. Prakash said.

Noting that a large number of students from marginalised sections of society would join colleges for degree courses, he said enrolment for PG courses and research programmes need to be improved to overcome shortage of teachers. There was a need to transform existing centres of learning into knowledge centres to provide quality education, the UGC Chairman said.

“Teaching and research are two sides of the same coin and the modern society cannot exist without research society.” Most of the research institutions had been overwhelmingly public institutions and they facilitate environment for both competitive and collaborative research and studies, he said.

Profit motive
Stating that corruption was rampant globally in higher education, Prof. Prakash said the profit motive was the major objective of many overseas institutions. Institutions would not last long without equity and quality of education. He also noted contribution of private educational institutions in increasing the gross enrolment ratio in degree and PG courses.

Funds
The UGC had sought Rs. 1844.70 billion for its various programmes during the 12th Plan period against Rs. 850 billion in the 11th Five Year Plan. Prof. Prakash said the UGC had planned strategies for the 12th Plan period with various schemes under the three major heads of access, equity and quality.

In some developed pockets of the country, enrolment was 42 per cent against less than 6 per cent in backward regions, he said. There were over 600 universities and university-level institutions and 31,000 colleges in the country as of 2011. He said considerable challenges still remained. Access to higher education was still less than the minimum international threshold levels. Besides skewed distribution of institutions, enrolment was largely concentrated in public universities. Further, enrolment was more in conventional disciplines, he added.

According to Prof. Prakash, higher education has been facing a few major challenges — regional imbalances in enrolment, equity, enrolment of candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities, crisis of identity where middlemen play a vital role to increase enrolment in colleges, and lack of effective governance and vision.

NAAC Director H.A. Ranganath explained the role of the council in the higher education system. Representatives of 430 educational institutions received accreditation certificates from NAAC. Around 500 delegates from State universities, deemed universities, and principals of colleges and educational institutions attended the ceremony.

Source: The Hindu, September 17, 2013

Central scheme for Higher Education on cards

The central government is planning a scheme to incentivise states to improve higher education. The proposed Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is part of the government effort to increase enrolment in higher education institutions to 30% by 2020. The proposed scheme, RUSA, aims to expand the institutional base of higher education by creating additional capacity in existing institutions, establishing new institutions and incentivising state governments.

It will focus on providing higher education opportunities to socially deprived communities, address disparities by promoting inclusion of women, minorities, SC/STs and differently-abled persons. It will also seek to remove regional imbalances in access to higher education by setting up institutions in unserved and underserved areas. To this end it will subsume the current scheme of setting up model degree colleges in 374 educationally backward districts of the country. Though announced in 2007, the programme’s financial architecture was only finalised in 2010. Till date only 142 proposals for the 374 model colleges have been received from the state, 78 have been approved and another 31 are under consideration.

Three-fourth of the cost of this programme will be borne by the Centre while the states will contribute the rest. For special category states the funding ratio will be 90:10. As much as 50% of the state share could be mobilised through public private partnerships. The balance funds, including recurring cost of the institutions, will be met by the state governments. Land for the institution will be provided free of cost by the state government. The scheme will be taken up for further discussion at the state education secretaries meet in mid-April.

Source: The Economic Times, April 3, 2012

UGC sets target for higher education enrolment

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has chalked out several plans to increase gross enrolment ratio (GER) of students in higher education from the present 20 per cent to 30 per cent during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17). The Commission has prepared a document on inclusive and quality expansion of higher education. The country’s GER, indicator of access to higher education is about 20 per cent of the relevant age (17-23 years) group — low compared to that in advanced countries, UGC Chairman (Acting) Ved Prakash told The Hindu on the sidelines of a programme at the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in Bangalore on Sunday.

“The GER in India will be increased to 30 per cent. I am very optimistic,” he said. It would require an increase in the student enrolment from the present level of 14 million to 22 million in colleges and the universities. More colleges would be opened in low 374 GER districts, he said. With higher education passing though a phase of unprecedented expansion marked by substantial increase in the number of institutions and enrolment of students, the UGC has sought Rs. 184,470 crore (Rs. 1.84 trillion) for its various programmes during the 12th Plan against Rs. 85,0000 crore (Rs. 850 billion) in the 11th Five-Year Plan.

Prof. Prakash said the Commission had planned strategies for the 12th Plan with various schemes under the three major heads of access, equity and quality with interlaced components of relevance, value-education and creativity. “The overall budget requirement projected to achieve the proposed initiatives is Rs.184,700 crore.” There are 611 universities and university-level institutions and 31,324 colleges in the country, as of 2011. Asked about increase in the number of colleges under universities, he said the Commission was in favour of granting autonomy to colleges and those with potential for excellence and having a student strength of more than 3,000 would be converted into universities or deemed universities.

About the challenges in the next Plan, he said access to higher education was still less than the minimum international threshold levels. Distribution of institutions is skewed, enrolment is largely concentrated in public universities and in the conventional disciplines, the UGC chief said.

The focus would be on achieving higher access through better utilisation of existing infrastructure and creation of new institutions to meet the objective of regional equity, he said. Noting that the three challenges of expansion, equity and excellence cannot be addressed in isolation, he said a single-minded pursuit of expansion could turn into chasing meaningless statistics. Exclusive focus on equity could compromise on quality and pursuit of excellence could be confined to a few islands. “The 12th Plan needs a more holistic approach,” he said.

Source: The Hindu, March 12, 2012

12th Plan to create 10 million more seats in higher education

An additional capacity of 10 million seats will be created in higher education during the 12th Five Year Plan which will commence from April 1, according to Dr. Narendra Jadav, Member, Planning Commission. Delivering Dr. B L Maheshwari Memorial Lecture at the Centre for Organisational Development in Hyderabad, Dr. Jadav said enrolments in higher education in the country were 20 million besides 4 million in the distance mode of learning.

The number might look impressive in absolute figures. China had far exceeded India in higher education with 30 million enrolment, he said. “The bad news, however, is that the gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education in the age group of 18-23 years is very low at 17 per cent which is nearly one-half of the world average” Dr. Jadav said. There was a need to ramp up the total number of universities from existing 634 to 1,500 over the next five years, he said.

Shortage of funds
About 89 per cent of the entire student population were going to 293 State universities in the country which were starving for funds. “They require large reforms and funds,” he said. A growth target of 9 per cent was being contemplated for the 12th Five Year Plan and education development was vital for Indian economy to bounce back, he added.

Source: The Hindu Business Line, March 5, 2012

Centre-sponsored program to boost higher education on cards

To make higher education more accessible, the government will roll out a new centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) in conjunction with the 12th Five Year Plan period. The scheme looks to incentivise states to invest in new institutes and in the expansion of existing ones, so that the supply-side bottlenecks in higher education are eased. The scheme is also aimed at increasing the gross enrollment ratio (GER) in higher education to 30% by 2020, which currently stands near 15%. GER is an indicator of the actual number of students enrolled in higher education as against potential students.

“The Planning Commission has finalised the new scheme and once finance ministry’s approval is obtained it could be announced in this year’s Budget,” said a Planning Commission official privy to the development. The new scheme would be part of a major restructuring exercise of CSS. For general category states, the proposed CSS for higher education would involve funds from the Centre and the respective state government in a 75:25 ratio. For special category states, the Centre’s share will be at 90%. Further, the states would be free to mobilise a part of their share from private partners by means of innovative PPP (Public Private Partnership) schemes. The Centre would also dole out incentives, in the form of soft loans or grants, to states that take up the project on a priority basis.

According to the Planning Commission, the process of setting up new institutions and expanding existing ones would be incentivised for states. The list includes state universities, general degree colleges and professional and technical educational institutions. “We moved the idea of a CSS in September last year and the Planning Commission is seeing if it can be included in the next plan. The scheme is intended to increase enrollment in higher education with greater participation from private partners,” said a senior official of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

Private sector participation in higher education has been on the government’s agenda since last year when it mulled new financing schemes whereby private parties could help in setting up institutes. The MHRD has already mooted the idea of setting up 14 Innovation Universities (IUs) in the PPP mode in which private parties will promote ideas and the government will finance them. In fact, it has already zeroed in on five such universities for the IUs, which will have the freedom to formulate their own policies on admission to programmes, and offer scholarships to the top 20% of the students at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels.

The proposed CSS, if implemented, would help the sector which is looking for investments of Rs. 10 lakh crore (Rs. 10 trillion) by 2020 to create an additional capacity of 25 million seats. The private sector, which accounts for 52% of the total enrollment, would be investing Rs. 50,000 crore (Rs. 500 billion) this per year, according to the annual FICCI-Ernst &Young report on higher education. At present, the state private universities are concentrated in a handful of states, with the top five states accounting for about 65% of such universities as they have favourable regulatory environment and provide government support.

Source: The Financial Express, January 18, 2012

Universities, colleges to be classified in terms of quality quartiles

Universities and colleges in India may soon be classified in terms of quality quartiles, which will decide the infrastructure and financing support they get from the government. According to the agenda of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) for the 12th Five Year Plan, the highest amount of financial support would be provided to the lowest quality institutions, especially those in rural regions, remote areas and hilly terrain.

The classification on basis on quality will also help in achieving 30% gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education by 2020 which is 15% at present. GER is an indicator of the actual number of students enrolled vis-a-vis the number of potential students.

However, with increased private participation in the sector, the ministry says that government institutions alone will not achieve such a large enrolment target. Therefore, huge investment in private sector will be necessary. Private sector involvement in higher education has been on the government’s agenda since last year when it mulled new financing schemes where private parties could help in setting up institutes in the country.

According to a joint report by FICCI and Ernst & Young, the higher education system in India needs an investment of Rs. 10 trillion by 2020 to create an additional capacity of 25 million seats. The private sector, which accounts for 52% of the total enrollment, would invest Rs. 500 billion of this per year.

The quality quartiles may be created on the basis of GER and in a report to the Planning Commission, the ministry has suggested that Finance Commission may be approached to provide non-plan grant for some underdeveloped states where the GER is less than all India average.

Source: The Financial Express, January 16, 2012

More students opting for higher education

Student enrolment in higher education has seen a sharp increase, a development that’s expected to hearten policymakers, educationists and industry in a country where companies have for long complained about the lack of a sufficiently deep talent pool. The national gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education, or the proportion of school graduates aged between 18 and 23 years entering college-level courses, rose from 12.5% in 2007-08 to 17.27% in 2009-10. At the start of the decade, only one in 10 students was opting for higher education after school. In 1980, India’s GER was 5%. GER is computed by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which oversees the functioning of universities and is tasked with maintaining standards in institutes of higher learning in the country.

The increase in GER could mean a rise in the supply of skilled personnel in India, where companies ranging from computer service providers to retailers have been confronting a shortage of skilled and “employable” personnel. Of the total workforce in the country, around 15% is skilled. For private educational institutes, the increased enrolment points to a higher revenue-earning opportunity. “As per our fresh calculation, the GER of the country is 17.27%. This means access to higher education is improving significantly,” said Ved Prakash, Chairman of UGC.

The number is also significant because the government had been targeting a GER of 16% only by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan (March 2012), a fact the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), another government body, underlines on its official website. However, the progress may be testing the limitations of a country that has also been struggling to fill teacher vacancies, at present estimated as high as 30-33%. Consequently, the institutes may not be able to absorb the growing number of students opting for higher education.

Prakash said that the fresh calculation is based on the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data published in 2011, which is again two years old. “If we have the latest data, then the GER, we feel, could be close to 20% now,” the UGC chairman said, forecasting that the enrolment ratio will be 25% by the end of 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17).

Though the national number is impressive, the state-level picture is likely to be uneven. While the calculation is yet to be made, a study by Ernst & Young and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) earlier this year showed Delhi leading the table of best-performing states with a GER of 31.9% in 2009-10, followed by Maharashtra, where the enrolment ratio was 25.9%. At the bottom were Tripura at 6.6% and Assam at 6.7%; Bihar had a GER of 8.5%, and West Bengal, 7.8%.

Industry executives are cautious about the latest data. Quantity without adequate quality will not serve the purpose, they said, because increased enrolment doesn’t necessarily translate into higher proficiency of the emerging workforce. “When the economy grows, attrition increases to the tune of 16-20%. It means, there is a shortage of human resources. Increasing the number is important, but unless there is quality, this shortfall will not be taken care of,” said R.C. Bhargava, Chairman of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the country’s largest car maker. “The problem will not be solved unless quality goes up. Other than enrolment figures, it is also important to look at the quality of education.”

Prakash of UGC said that the main challenge is to “make education available to all”. As per UGC data, India has some 31,324 higher educational institutes, of which 611 are degree-awarding ones. Of this, 42 are central universities, 284 state universities, 129 deemed universities and 48 are so-called institutes of national importance. In 1950-51, India had 27 universities and just 578 colleges.

Sharda Prasad, Director General of Employment and Training (DGET) at the Union Ministry of Labour, said the NSSO data shows that many students preferred to pursue higher education instead of entering the job market in 2004-2009. “Some who dropped out of school wanted to finish schooling, some others pursued higher education. This has certainly helped the GER grow,” Prasad said.

M. Damodaran​, a former chief of the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), said: “Quantity is important, but just talking about quantity without looking at quality is not comforting. I keep listening from companies that they don’t get quality human resources…many engineers are not employable. While numbers are important, I would like to see what is its quality,” said Damodaran, who is chairman of the board of governors at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Tiruchirappalli.

Still, the numbers show that access to higher education has increased, said Manish Sabharwal, chief executive officer at TeamLease Services Pvt. Ltd, a training and staffing firm. “Once we take care of the access and quantity, the quality will be taken care of,” he said. “Access will create demand for quality institutes and those not providing it will face closure. We have started seeing this as several institutes are now struggling to fill their entire seat capacity.”

Source: Mint, December 29, 2011

Higher education UGC data surpass government stats, near China’s

Soon after the government’s yardstick of measuring poverty kicked up a storm, another could be brewing in the social sector. Though official figures show only a small percentage of Indians receiving higher education, the University Grants Commission (UGC) feels the numbers are much higher, closer to China’s.

So, while the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) estimates gross enrolment ratio (GER) at 15% by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan, the UGC has measured it close to 20%. GER is an indicator of the actual number of students enrolled visa-a-vis the number of potential students.

“Our estimates show GER may have already touched 20%. The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) data too show we are very close to this number. We have overachieved our target and at the current pace of expansion, we might hit 30% much before 2020, thanks to increased participation by the private sector,” UGC Chairman Ved Prakash told FE.

This means instead of trailing China (which has a GER of 22%) by a wide margin, India is close and catching up fast. Moreover, if higher education continues to expand at the current pace, the 30% target may be reached in five years, instead of 2020 as projected by the ministry. The UGC has cited NSSO’s 2007-08 survey which found GER crossed 17% to support its estimates.

The UGC numbers may trigger a fresh look at government allocations for higher education. The Planning Commission has constituted a committee to look into GER in higher education and the mid-term appraisal of the 11th Plan suggested that the next Five-Year Plan may consider incremental GER expansion by 10%.

A ministry official said that the government was conducting a higher education survey that looks at GER. “The result will come out in November but the Planning Commission’s exercise is expected to be completed earlier. Also, the UGC is better equipped to reveal the numbers,” said a senior ministry official.

UGC is confident that GER in higher education will reach either 23.5% or 27 % by the end of the 12th Plan, if the current pace is maintained. Previous estimates had set India’s GER in higher education at 15%, trailing the global average of 24%, developing countries at 18 % and developed countries’ 58%. India had a higher tertiary education GER in 1999 than that of China (6%). However, China’s GER went up to 22%, beating India in 2007.

The Eleventh Five Year Plan had set a target of taking higher education GER to 15% by 2011-12. The UGC had said that to achieve this target, a significant increase in allocation to higher education, close to the targeted 1% of the GDP on higher education, would be required. The UGC then made an estimate of financial requirement of 15% target and suggested an allocation of about Rs. 56,362 crore (Rs. 563.62 billion).

Source: The Financial Express, October 1, 2011

>Sibal lays stone for IIT-Patna campus; worries about low GER

>The government was committed to the development of all new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said in Patna Tuesday while laying the foundation stone of the IIT-Patna. The premier technology institute is coming up on 500 acres of land near Bihta, about 30 kms from Patna, the state’s capital. Sibal, who arrived here Monday night, said construction work would be completed within three years.

“The central government was committed to the development of all new IITs, including IIT-Patna,” Sibal said after he laid the foundation stone. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was also present on the occasion, said the state government had last year handed over 463 acres of acquired land. He formally handed over the papers for the 500 acres of land to IIT-Patna Director Anil K. Bhowmick. IIT-Patna has been running at a temporary polytechnic campus here since August 2008.

Mr. Sibal said the Centre would soon work out with the State Governments, the modalities of implementation of the Right to Education Act in order to provide compulsory education to all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years.

The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has chalked out a plan to provide an impetus to higher education and up the country’s gross enrolment ratio from a measly 14% to at least 20% by 2020. “It’s a major challenge. Developed nations report 50% to 70% gross enrolment ratio,” Mr. Sibal said.

Speaking as the chief guest after laying the foundation stone of the IIT-Patna’s new campus, Sibal said the country’s real wealth is intellectual property which can be created only if more IITs, IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management) and universities are set up. The country today has 700 universities and 26,000 colleges, which are not enough. “We will require 40,000 to 50,000 colleges and 1000 universities and technical institutions by 2020,” he said.

Mr. Sibal said only 15% of the IIT products opt for foreign jobs while the rest of them are contributing to the development of the country. He hoped that IIT-Patna would also prove to be the country’s educational mainstay once it starts functioning from its new campus after two years.

Sibal regretted that only 14% of the country’s school passouts study in universities while 18% to 24% of children remain unschooled. Though the scenario is improving, it’s still poor compared to European countries where 50 to 70% students get university education.

The Union HRD ministry has decided to make all the colleges and universities of the country online under the “National Knowledge Network” scheme. It would be a boon for teachers and students as it would add value to their respective pursuits, Sibal said. Lauding the development work being carried out in Bihar under the leadership of Chief Minister (CM) Nitish Kumar, Sibal said the Centre is ready to help the state grow further in the field of higher education.

In his presidential address, Kumar pitched afresh the state’s plea to set up the Central University of Bihar in Motihari. It would be a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi who had started his ‘satyagrah’ from the West Champaran district headquarters in 1917, he said. “People are ready to make land available in Motihari, only 135 minutes away from Patna. Situated on East-West corridor, the place is also on the railway map. Yet, the Centre is insisting on opening the university somewhere near Patna,” the CM said and asked how inclusive growth will be achieved if all the educational institutions open in Patna.

Kumar said the state government is spending Rs. 8,000 crore (Rs. 80 billion) on education. “Bihar should be given special central assistance to implement the Centre’s Right to Education Act which involves a cost of Rs. 12,000 crore (Rs. 120 billion),” he said and added the state would not look up to the Centre for such expenses if it is accorded the special state status. Mr. Sibal, however, said that the present UPA government has given record funds for education sector to the Bihar government.

Sources: The Times of India & Indo-Asian News Service, April 20, 2011

>HRD Minister stresses on spreading distance education

>Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday said the government was aiming to get at least seven million students, largely from the underprivileged sections, enrolled in distance education programme to make education inclusive. In a message at the convocation function of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Sibal said that distant education can help in achieving the gross enrollment ratio of 30 per cent by 2020.

“Distance education has become popular because it offers people from rural, working class communities access to higher education. We are thus targeting an enrolment of at least 7 million students, with a majority from the disadvantaged sections and locations, during the next few years,” Sibal said in a recorded message as he was off to Mumbai for the World Cup final match. “The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education is presently hovering at a mere 13 per cent, a whole 10 per cent below the world average. I am setting sights to raise it to the global average by 2020, which by then will be around 30 per cent,” he said.

More than 215,000 students across the country got degrees, diplomas and certificates and a total of 78 students received gold medals at the convocation ceremony held by the university, the world’s largest open university. Nearly 45,000 students received Bachelor’s Degree, 21,000 Masters’ Degree, 60,000 diplomas and approximately 91,000 students earned certificates in a ceremony held simultaneously at 51 IGNOU regional centres across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, IGNOU Vice Chancellor Prof. V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai stressed the initiatives taken by the university to promote the GER and said, “120 districts were identified with the GER between 3.0 and 7.0 where IGNOU can tap the prospective learners in the age group of 18-23 years. Both enrollment of fresh learners by IGNOU and retention of learners in the IGNOU system are being addressed to.” The VC added that the IGNOU is playing a key role in creating 500 million certified technicians and skilled workers by 2020.

Stressing the University’s growth story in the past four years, Pillai said the IGNOU is uniquely poised to enter the 2010-2020 Decade of Innovation. “IGNOU’s approach in this Decade of Innovation is to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth in education, skill development, healthcare, energy, agriculture and infrastructure.”

“The university plans to design learning and training modules, courses and programmes through which learners can pay skills providers directly and make the knowledge and skill acquired bankable through testing and certification, converting them into diplomas, higher diplomas, associate degrees and degrees,” Pillai added.

Source: IGNOU, April 4, 2011