Question : Quality-Standard of Higher Education

(a) whether the Government is aware that there is paucity of quality educational institutions for higher studies in the country and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
(b) whether the Government has evaluated/assessed the quality of education being imparted by colleges/universities or higher educational institutions in the country and if so, the details and the outcome thereof; and
(c) the remedial steps taken by the Government to improve the quality and standard of education in colleges and universities or higher educational institutions in the country?

MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)
(a): Improvement of standards of higher education is an on-going process and the Central Government has been making a constant effort in this direction. It is the endeavour of the central government to promote and develop all institutions of higher education. Minimum standard of education in every university is ensured by the University Grants Commission (UGC) through its regulations in this regard. Universities however may vary in the quality of education beyond the minimum standards laid down by UGC depending on, inter-alia, availability of resources, infrastructure etc.
(b) & (c): Yes, Madam. The UGC has issued the UGC (Mandatory Assessment and Accreditation of higher Educational Institutions), Regulations, 2012 whereby all universities and colleges are required to have themselves accredited. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), the overall quality of state higher educational institutions is sought to be improved by ensuring their conformity to prescribed norms and standards and adoption of accreditation as a mandatory quality assurance framework.
The UGC has taken various measures to improve the standards of education in universities and colleges, such as the introduction of a semester system, the regular updating of curricula and Choice Based Credit Systems (CBCS), etc. The UGC has also issued Regulations on “Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education, 2010” for improving the standard of teaching in Indian Universities. The UGC has also laid down the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2010 and UGC (Maintenance of Standards in Private Universities) Regulations, 2003 for maintaining standards in Deemed to be Universities and Private Universities respectively.
The UGC also implements various schemes aimed at improving the quality of higher education, such as Universities with Potential for Excellence (UPE), Colleges with Potential for Excellence (CPE), Special Assistance Programme (SAP), Basic Scientific Research (BSR) etc.
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