Question : University for Women

(a) whether Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) proposes for establishment of
exclusive university for women in every State particularly in Telangana to encourage
girl education in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government also proposes to set up women residential degree
colleges in every district of the country including Khammam district and if so, the
details thereof;
(c) whether only 15 women exclusive universities in the country out of the 864 total
universities in the country and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
(d) whether CABE has recommended to provide free education to women in the
country from primary to post-graduate level to encourage them and if so, the details
thereof and the decision taken by the Government so far and the views of each State in
this regard; and
(e) the steps being taken by the Government for review of status of higher education,
digital initiatives in higher education, among others so far?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

(DR. SATYA PAL SINGH)

(a) to (d): In order to encourage girl education, a Sub-Committee under Central
Advisory Board of Education (CABE) has been constituted to look into the issues
related to Girls’ Education. The interim recommendations of sub-committee, inter alia,
include (i) Residential Degree Colleges and Polytechnics for Women in the District
Head Quarters, (ii) Exclusive Women University in each State, (iii) Provide free
education to Girls upto Post-graduate level.
All the recommendations of the Sub-committee under CABE are interim. The
final report of the Sub-committee has not been finalized.
As informed by the University Grants Commission, there are 14 Universities
exclusively for women in the country out of which four (4) are in Rajasthan, two (2) in
Tamil Nadu, one (1) each in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal.
(e): The Government is in process of formulating a New Education Policy for which 33
themes have been identified for consultations. Out of these, 20 themes are on Higher
Education including ‘Opportunities for Technology Enabled Learning’. Accordingly, a
Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy, under the Chairpersonship of
Late. Shri. T.S.R. Subramanian was constituted. The report of the committee as well as
reports of various consultations held have been treated as inputs for Education Policy
formulation. The exercise of preparing a New Education Policy is still ongoing and as of
now, no final view has been taken yet.
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