Lok Sabha Question No. 188 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-11-30
Subject: Quality of Technical Education
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 188 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.11.2015

## Quality of Technical Education

## 188. SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL:

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

- (a) the salient features of Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP) implemented by the Government;
- (b) whether the Government has signed any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with foreign  Governments  to  get  advance  technical  information  in  order  to  improve  the quality of Technical Education in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  number  of  centres  established  for  improving  technical  educational  quality  in  the country;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to ask industrial companies to adopt the centres to influx  the  quality  as  well  as  innovation  into  the  technical  education  system  in  the country and if so, the number of companies are likely to ask to adopt the centres, Statewise;
- (e) whether the Government considers to give incentives to the companies those who are adopted the technical centres in the country and if so, the  details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (f) the  number  of  steps  taken  by  the  Government  through  TEQIP  for  producing  high quality engineers for the industry?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) In 2002-03, the Government of India with the financial assistance from the World Bank launched  Technical  Education  Quality  Improvement  Programme  (TEQIP)  as  a  longterm  Programme  of  10-12  years,  to  be  implemented  in  three  phases  for  systemic transformation  of  the  Technical  Education  System  with focus  on  Degree  level Engineering Education. The salient features of Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme may be seen at Annexure-I.
- (b) No. However, a Letter of Intent (LoI) has been signed between MHRD & Mitacs Inc. a Canadian Not-for-Profit Corporation for implementation of student exchange programme with a view to promote Research, Consultation & Exchange of Experience, Capacity  Building  and  Training  within  Joint  Research  Project  between  Canadian Universities and India.
- (c) To improve the quality of technical education in the Country a total of 191 institutions (127 State Govt. funded/ aided, 38 private unaided institutions and 26 centrally funded technical institutions) are being supported under the project. 30 Centres of Excellence have been established in 27 project institutions.
- (d) No.
- (e) The Project provides support to the Technical Institutions participating  in the Project for enhancing their linkages with the industry for various academic activities. However no direct support / incentives are being provided to the industries.
- (f) The  steps  taken  by  Government  of  India  for  producing  high  quality  engineers  under TEQIP-II may be seen at Annexure-II.

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ANNEXURE-I AS REFERRED TO  IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  188  FOR  30.11.2015  ASKED  BY  SHRI  PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL, HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING QUALITY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

## Salient feature of Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP)

##  TEQIP (Phase-I) :

The first phase of TEQIP commenced in March 2003 and ended in March 2009, covering 127 institutions in 13 States.  Through  competitive funding, each participating institutions implemented  a  set  of  reforms  that  promoted  academic  and  administrative  autonomy.  The bottom-up  approach  empowered  the  institutions  to  improve  curriculum,  teaching,  and assessment, according to the demand for skills and newest research. Further, TEQIP invested in  faculty  development,  encouraged  participation  in  national  and  international  conferences, and it financed necessary purchase of modern labs and research instruments.

##  TEQIP (PHASE-II) :

Building  upon  the  satisfactory  completion  of  the  first  phase  of  TEQIP,  its  second  phase (TEQIP-II) is presently being implemented as a 'Centrally Sponsored Scheme' (CSS) in 191 competitively  selected  engineering  institutions  to  improve  quality  of  Technical  Education through institutional and systemic reforms. The second phase boosts efforts to prepare more post-graduate students to reduce the shortage of qualified faculty, and to produce more R&D in collaboration with industry with following objectives:

- o Strengthening Institutions to produce high quality engineers for better employability,
- o Scaling-up postgraduate education and demand-driven Research & Development and Innovation,
- o Establishing Centers of Excellence for focused applicable research,
- o Training of faculty for effective Teaching, and
- o Enhancing Institutional and System Management effectiveness.

## ANNEXURE-II AS REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (f) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  188  FOR  30.11.2015  ASKED  BY  SHRI  PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL, HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING QUALITY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

## Steps taken by Government of India for producing high quality engineers under TEQIP-II

## 1. Strengthening participating institutions through:

-  faculty and staff development;
-  pedagogical training at IITs;
-  enhancing interaction with the industrial sectors;
-  improving institutional governance, and management and administrative practices that are  conducive to academic autonomy;
-  implementing relevant institutional reforms;
-  improving teaching, training and learning facilities;
-  providing academic support to weak students;
-  increasing enrolment in post-graduate programmes, and enhancing research and consultancy activities;
-  modernizing libraries and other means to access knowledge resources;
-  enhancing research and development;
-  developing research interest among degree students;
-  sharing resources through collaborative arrangements;
-  modernizing and expanding laboratories; and
-  establishing inter-disciplinary  centers  of  excellence  that  conduct  applicable thematic  research  and  development  in  collaboration  with  industry  and  other knowledge  users,  converting  research  results  into  applicable  technologies  and enhancing collaborative actives with national and international institutions.

## 2. Improving system & management through:

-  establishment  and  operation  of  Project  management  units  at  the  National  and State levels;
-  carrying  out  of  stakeholder  satisfaction  surveys,  performance  and  fiduciary audits, & impact assessment studies, and
-  organizing management enhancement trainings at IIMs.
3. Establishment of Quality Circles and Knowledge Incubation Centres at IITs : Quality circles/ Knowledge Incubation Centres have been established at 8 IITs to bring faculty and  students  of  different  engineering  disciplines  on  a  common  platform  on  specific academic subjects and to provide Pedagogy Training to project institutions.
4. Quality Enhancement in Engineering Education (QEEE) programme by IIT Madras : The  QEEE  program  consists  of  live-lectures,  remote  tutorials,  remote  labs,  open courses, e-books, MOOCs and remote quizzes amongst others.
5. Management Capacity Enhancement Programme/ Leadership Development Programme at  IIMs  :  Management  Capacity  Enhancement  Programme/  Leadership  Development Programme  is  being  implemented  with  an  object  of  Capacity  building  to  strengthen management of project institutions.