Quality Education

It has been a constant endeavor of the Government to make the country emerge as a quality and affordable education destination for Indian as well as foreign students. Further, upgrading Indian Higher Educational Institutions is a continuous process. However, the Government has taken various measures for improving the standards of higher education in the country. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued the UGC Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education, Regulations, 2010 for improving the standard of teaching in Indian universities. It has also issued the Mandatory Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions, Regulations, 2012 whereby all eligible higher educational institutions are required to get themselves accredited. The UGC has also issued the Promotion and Maintenance of Standards of Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutions, Regulations 2012, which provide a framework for academic collaboration between Indian and foreign higher educational institutions. 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), Centres with Potential for Excellence in a Particular Area (CPEPA) etc.

The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has informed that in order to promote quality of technical education, it has introduced various schemes such as Research Promotion Scheme, Faculty Development Programme, Visiting Professorship, National Faculty in Engineering and Technology with Industrial Collaboration (NAFETIC), Innovation Programme Scheme and Quality Improvement Programme etc. It has also issued the Mandatory Accreditation of all Programs/Courses in Technical Education Institutions, University Departments and Institutions Deemed to be Universities imparting Technical Education Regulations, 2014 which makes it mandatory for each technical education institution, university department and institution Deemed to be University imparting technical education to get its programs/courses accredited. AICTE has also issued Regulations for Entry and Operation of Foreign Universities/Institutions imparting Technical Education in India to facilitate collaboration and partnerships between Indian and Foreign Universities/Institutions in the field of technical education, research and training.

Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), the overall quality of existing 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. Certain academic, administrative and governance reforms are a precondition for receiving funding under RUSA.

The Government has also established new Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management to enhance the quality of education in Indian Higher Educational Institutes.

This information was given by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani yesterday in a written reply to the Lok Sabha question.

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