Lok Sabha Question No. 3 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-25
Subject: Standard of Education
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SRIRAM MALYADRI

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO . 3 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  APRIL, 2016

## Standard of Education

## 3 . SHRI MALYADRI SRIRAM:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Ministry  is  aware  that  massive  privatisation  has  led  to  fall  in standards  of  higher  education  system  and  discipline  among  the  universities  and schools in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the number of Indian students going abroad for studies is on the rise and the number of foreign students coming to India for higher studies is declining and if
- so, the details thereof during the last three years, field/education-wise:
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to improve our education system; and
- (e) the time by which these are likely to be implemented?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) & (b):  The stated policy of the Government is that education is a 'not-for-profit' activity.  Presently, private sector participation exists in the funding and management of educational institutions as long as surplus earned is reasonable and the same is ploughed back for development of institutions.  Section 13 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 clearly prohibits the collection of any  capitation  fee.    Similar  steps  have  been  taken  in  higher  education.    The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued several regulations, such as, UGC Establishment  and  Maintenance  of  Standards  in  Private  Universities,  2003;  UGC (Institutions  Deemed-to-be  Universities)  Regulations,  2010  and  UGC  Institutions Deemed-to-be Universities (Amendment) Regulations, 2014 and All India Council for Technical  Education  (AICTE)  has  issued  AICTE  (Establishment  of  Mechanism  for Grievance Redressal) Regulation, 2012.

(c)  :    Studies  abroad  being  a  matter  of  individual  will  and  choice,  information regarding  the  number  of  Indian  students  going  abroad  is  not  maintained  by  the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The details of foreign students coming to India for higher education is not available field/education-wise. However, as per the record of Ministry of Home Affairs, the number of foreign students who arrived in the country was 93693 in 2013, 44620 in 2014 and 66885 up to 21.12.2015

(d) & (e):   Improvement of standards of higher education is an on-going process and the Central Government has been making a constant effort in this direction. It is the endeavour    of  the  central  government  to  promote  and  develop  all  institutions  of higher education. Minimum standard of education in every university is ensured by the UGC through its regulations in this regard. Universities however may vary in the quality  of  education  beyond  the  minimum  standards  laid  down  by  UGC  depending on, inter-alia, availability of resources, infrastructure etc.

The  UGC  has  issued  the  UGC  (Mandatory  Assessment  and  Accreditation  of higher  Educational  Institutions),  Regulations,  2012  whereby  all  universities  and colleges are required to have themselves accredited. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), the overall quality of 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.

The UGC has taken various measures to improve the standards of education in  universities  and  colleges,  such  as  the  introduction  of  a  semester  system,  the regular  updating  of  curricula  and  Choice  Based  Credit  Systems  (CBCS),  etc.  The UGC has  also  issued  Regulations  on  'Minimum  Qualifications  for  Appointment  of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education, 2010' for improving the standard of teaching in Indian Universities. The UGC has also laid down the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2010 and UGC (Maintenance of Standards in Private Universities) Regulations, 2003 for maintaining standards in Deemed to be Universities and Private Universities respectively.

The 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),  Basic Scientific Research (BSR) etc.

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