Lok Sabha Question No. 1351 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-02
Subject: Functioning of AICTE
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: KINJARAPU RAM MOHAN NAIDU, NARAMALLI SIVAPRASAD

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1351 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.05.2016

## Functioning of AICTE

## 1351. SHRI RAM MOHAN NAIDU KINJARAPU:

DR. NARAMALLI SIVA PRASAD:

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

- (a) whether the Government had constituted a number of Committees to study and  suggest  ways  and  means  on  the  working  of  All  India  Council  for Technical Education (AICTE);
- (b) if  so,  whether  major  recommendations were accepted for implementation by the Government;
- (c) whether the Government had to constitute another Expert committee under the  chairmanship  of  Shri  M.K.  Kaw  in  2014  to  go  into  the  details  of functioning of AICTE and make recommendations to bring in improvements in its functioning to meet the future challenges and serve the cause of higher technical education better; and
- (d) the important recommendations of the Committee and the time by which it is likely to be implemented?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

## (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a)  to  (c): Yes,  Madam.  AICTE  Review  Committee  was  constituted  under  the Chairmanship  of  Sh. M.  K. Kaw,  retired Secretary,  Department  of  Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development to conduct a review of the present status of AICTE and suggest restructuring and re-organizing of AICTE for attaining  even  better  performance  to  meet  the  desired  objectives  and  to  suggest amendments to the AICTE Act, 1987 and the Rules and Regulations made there under.  The committee conducted various meetings and consulted various authorities/stakeholders/public. After considering the facts and issues, the Committee  submitted  its  report  with  entitled  'Technical  Education  in  India:  A Futuristic Scenario' to the Ministry on 12.06.2015.

(d): The  following  are  the  recommendations  made  by  the  Committee  to strengthen the AICTE:

- (i) AICTE  should  be  converted  into  a  constitutional  autonomous  apex authority.
- (ii) AICTE  may  function  as  a  facilitating,  mentoring  agency  rather  than regulatory body.
- (iii) AICTE should focus attention on research, innovation, business startups and patenting.
- (iv) Third  party  rating  should  be  used  as  the  fulcrum  of  regulation.  Norms shall measure outcomes rather than be obsessed with physical inputs.
- (v) AICTE  should  improve  the  functioning  of  the  sub-standard  technical institutions with  the  help of senior faculty  drawn from higher technical institutions.
- (vi) There  should  be  a  provision  for  undergraduate  students  to  undergo internship on the job training with industry.
- (vii) The  National  Board  of  Accreditation  should  be  the  umbrella  authority charged with the power to recognize accreditation agencies.
- (viii) There  should  be  a  National  Testing  Service  which  conducts  a  Joint Entrance Examination for engineering courses and a Common Admission Test  for  management  courses.  Exit  tests  like  GATE  shall  also  be  made universal.
- (ix) AICTE  should  have  its  permanent  establishment  of  manpower  and experienced persons from industry should be taken on deputation.
- (x) Affiliation  should  be  phased  out  within  a  decade  and  AICTE  should regulate, mentor and develop technical institutions.
- (xi) Distance  and  life-long  education  should  be  promoted  with  the  help  of information  technology  such  as  MOOCs  and  other  emerging  blended learning practices.
- (xii) Technical and  Vocational  education should  be  dovetailed into  one another by a liberal regime of transfer of credits between institutions.
- (xiii) MHRD should enhance the plan allocation of funds to AICTE.
- (xiv) AICTE goal should be to establish India as a technical education superpower within the next decade.

The recommendations of AICTE Review Committee were discussed on 18.06.2015 in  a  meeting  of  the  experts.  The  reports  of  Review  Committee  along  with  the opinions/comments  of  the  experts  were  also  placed  on  the  website  for  the comments  of  general  public. Some  of  the  recommendations  of  the  Review Committee  have  been  implemented  based  on  the  opinions  obtained  from  the experts, stakeholders and the public.

*****