(a) whether it is a fact that the Prime Minister has appealed to universities in the country to
aspire to be among the top 100 globally and promised special economic assistance for the
same;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the reasons for poor performance of Indian universities, which could not find place in
the top 100 in the world; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and measures taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(Dr. MAHENDRA NATH PANDEY)
(a) & (b): The Hon’ble Finance Minster in his Budget Speech 2016 had announced the
following:
“It is our commitment to empower Higher Educational Institutions to help
them become world class teaching and research institutions. An enabling
regulatory architecture will be provided to ten public and ten private
institutions to emerge as World-Class Teaching and Research Institutions.
This will enhance affordable access to high quality education for ordinary
Indians. A detailed scheme will be formulated”.
Accordingly, an Enabling Regulatory Architecture namely, UGC (Declaration of
Govt. Educational Institutions as Institutions of Eminence) Guidelines, 2017 for public
institutions and UGC (Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities) Regulations,
2017 for private institutions has been finalised after public consultations. The Government
is in the process of issuing / notifying the Guidelines and the Regulations. Under the
Guidelines, it has been proposed to provide financial assistance up to Rs. 1,000 Crore
over a period of five years to each of the 10 selected public institutions.
(c) & (d): Global academic rankings of the World Universities are carried out by multiple
agencies on various parameters. In one of such kinds of ranking exercises, the Times
Higher Education World University Rankings 2016-17 has listed 31 Indian Universities
among the world’s best Universities even though none of these figured among top 100.
The Central Government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) are
constantly endeavouring to improve quality of higher education in the country. The Central
Government has launched several initiatives viz. National Institutional Ranking Framework
(NIRF), Impacting Research Innovation & Technology (IMPRINT), Uchchtar Avishkar
Yojna (UAY) and Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) in the field of education
for the qualitative development of education in the country. UGC has been undertaking
measures for maintenance of standards in teaching, research and quality assurance in
Universities, Deemed to be Universities and Colleges through framing and notifying
regulations, schemes and disbursing grants to the eligible institutions. The UGC has also
notified several regulations with a view to sustain and improve the quality of higher
education and to undertake academic reforms. The regulations are available at
http://www.ugc.ac.in/page/UGC-Regulations.aspx . In order to encourage research and
development in the country, UGC is implementing schemes, awards, fellowships, chairs
and programmes under which financial assistance is provided to institutions of higher
education as well as faculty members working therein to undertake quality research
covering areas of knowledge across disciplines. Some of the initiatives taken by UGC for
improving quality of Higher Education are:
i. Choice-based Credit System (CBCS);
ii. Universities with Potential for Excellence;
iii. Centre with potential for excellence in particular area;
iv. Special Assistance Programme (SAP);
v. Basic Science Research;
vi. Major Research project;
vii. B.Voc. Degree Programme;
viii. DDU KAUSHAL KENDRAS;
ix. Scholarship Scheme (ISHAN UDAY) for North Eastern Region;
x. New Methodology of Grading by NAAC;
xi. UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil / Ph.D. Degrees)
Regulations, 2016;
xii. UGC (Credit Framework for Online Learning Courses through SWAYAM)
Regulation, 2016.