(a) whether there is a need for comprehensive reforms in the area of
technical education in the country;
(b) if so, whether Government have formulated any draft plan for the above
reforms; and
(c) if so, the details of the aforesaid plan alongwith the decision taken
by the Government to get assistance from the private sector to
implement the plan?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (PROF. RITA VERMA)
(a) to (c) : Reforms in technical education in the country is
a continuous process and this is achieved through the
implementation of the National Policy on Education (NPE) and the
Programme of Action (PoA). It includes coordinated and planned
development of technical education as embodied in the All India
Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Act, 1987. For the
development of technical education, AICTE operates several schemes
such as Modernisation and Removal of Obsolescence, Thrust Area
Programme in Technical Education, Research and Development
Programme, Entrepreneurship and Management Development Programme,
Early Faculty Induction Programme, Quality Improvement Programme,
Accreditation, of courses etc. Apart from the initiatives on the
part of the AICTE, recent initiatives taken to strengthen the
technical education system include strengthening and consolidation
of infrastrcutural facilities in Indian Institutes of Technology
(IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Indian Institute
of Science (IISc) and other similar institutions, development of
technologies in emerging areas and their transfer to user agencies
through technology development missions; transfer of techno-
economic advances in technical education and appropriate
technologies to rural people through expansion of Community
Polytechnics; Scheme for upgrading existing polytechnics to
integrate the physically disabled in the main stream of technical
and vocational education; modernization of institutions and
development of R&D base; Technician Education Project;
modernization of libraries and switch over to electronic libraries
with interconnectivity etc; Regional Engineering Colleges are
being upgraded to National Institutes of Technology (NITs). With a
view to providing necessary direction to the technical education
system in the country towards promotion of Postgraduate Education
and Research in Engineering and Technology, in December 2001, the
Ministry has announced a Policy Framework which provides for
increasing the duration of M.Tech. Programmes from 18 to 24 months;
raising the scholarship amount etc. Private Sector is involved
substantially in running of technical institutes, some of which are
of very good quality, under the overall supervision of AICTE.