Lok Sabha Question No. 3524 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-21
Subject: Quality Education
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3524 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.12.2015

## Quality Education

## 3524. DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE :

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the  Government is planning to make the country emerge as a quality and affordable education destination for students outside; and

(b) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) and (b):  It has been a constant endeavour 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.

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