Lok Sabha Question No. 1378 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-02
Subject: Quality of Higher Education
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: CH. MALLA REDDY

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO . 1378 TO BE ANSWERED ON 2 ND   MAY, 2016

## Quality of Higher Education

1378. SHRI CH. MALLA REDDY: Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that a large number of students are opting for higher education in various foreign countries each year; (b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  reasons  therefor  and  the  reaction  of  the Government thereto; and (c)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  improve  the  quality,  research  and innovation  in  educational  institutions  including  premier  Technological  institutions  in

- the country?

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

(a) & (b): Study abroad is 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.  There  are  no  restrictions  on  cross-border  student  mobility which  can  be  due  to  variety  of  reasons  such  as  affordability,  access  to  bank  loans, exposure to foreign societies, aptitude  for  particular  branch  of  studies  and  inability  to gain admission to top Indian Institutes. (c):  Improvement in the quality, research and innovation in educational institutions is a continuous process. The Government has taken various measures in this regard. The  University  Grants  Commission  (UGC)  has  introduced  semester  system, regular updating of curricula and Choice Based Credit Systems (CBCS). It 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.

To  encourage  research  and  development  in  the  country,  UGC  implements various schemes 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  University  Grants Commission (UGC) has launched the scheme of Faculty Recharge Programme wherein candidates  are  selected  through  global  advertisements.    Under  the  CV  Raman  Postdoctoral  Fellowships  Scheme  the  young  faculty  are  attached  to  United  States  of America  (USA)  Universities  to  enable  them  to  work  with  USA  Scientists  in  their respective area of specialization.

The Government has also introduced Uchhatar Avishakar Yojana and Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) Programme with a view to promoting innovation  that  directly  impact  the  needs  of  the  industries  and  aims  at  providing solutions to the most relevant engineering challenges faced by the nation.

The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has also 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. The Government has also launched a programme titled the 'Global Initiative for Academic  Networks'  (GIAN)  in  higher  education  aimed  at  tapping  the  talent  pool  of scientists and entrepreneurs internationally to encourage their engagement with Indian higher  educational  institutions  so  as  to  augment  the  country's  existing  academic resources,  accelerate  the  pace  of  quality  reform,  and  elevate  India's  scientific  and technological  capacity  to  global  excellence.  GIAN  includes  participation  of  foreign faculty,  including  those  of  Indian  origin,  as  faculty  to  participate  in  delivering  short  or semester-long courses. 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 established new Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes  of  Management  to  enhance  the  quality  of  education  in  the  field  of  Higher

Education.

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