Part-I UGC's Vision & Strategy for Xth Plan
Realising the Vision: The Xth Plan
Quality Teaching: The need of the hour.
A graduate degree gains more value if it helps students develop a sound base in the fundamentals and fosters all round personality development. In addition, it should inculcate skills that will enable them to launch themselves in the professional world.
The need, therefore, is to establish quality teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. Looking at the existing disparities in appropriate academic and other support infrastructure in colleges and universities as well as the diversity of teachers, it is essential to adopt a new strategy of providing quality education through the information highway.
An information flow network would, therefore, be established by creating inter-connectivity in all universities. Each university would have an assured reliable bandwidth for uploading and downloading so as to get them on the Intranet and Internet.
Each university would be encouraged to establish a local area network so as to enable connectivity within the campus. Universities would also be helped to establish a college-network for connecting all the colleges under the jurisdiction of the university. There would be thus a network for information flow in each university and a network connecting each university in the country.
A knowledge connectivity map will thus emerge for the entire country. It would facilitate flow of information to support the teaching and learning process.
A knowledge connectivity map will thus emerge for the entire country. It would facilitate flow of information to support the teaching and learning process through multimedia material, computer graphics support material, reference material (in print form) and audio material. This would enhance the academic infrastructure in each classroom.
The creation of a communication network for the free flow of knowledge would enhance access to as well as quality in higher education. The information network would form the backbone for content development and for the flow of content, be it in demonstration experiments, laboratory experiments, multimedia education material, audio material or print material. However, true enhancement in quality would come only if such teaching-support material were available for use in the classrooms and laboratories. This means one has to undertake a massive exercise to develop multimedia teaching support material. The UGC would encourage universities/departments to establish state-of-the-art Content Development Centres and fund teachers to develop multimedia-based teaching material. These activities would have a discipline/subject orientation and would be operated in decentralised manner but would be supported by a national co-ordination mechanism. A massive teacher orientation campaign would have to be launched not only to update their knowledge base in their subject but also to inculcate healthy work culture practices among them. The activities of the Academic Staff Colleges would be further strengthened and they would be given task of teacher training and orientation activities in a professional manner on a continuous basis.
At the postgraduate level, a "cafeteria approach " with core and optional courses in an open and flexible credit—based modular structure would be promoted.
A massive training activity would be undertaken to make the teacher community familiar with multimedia material development. International collaborations would be established with institutions/universities to initiate (and share) joint activities. The teachers would be given incentives and rewards for producing academically good and rich material.
To accept the future challenges in various disciplines so as to widen the knowledge base of students at the postgraduate level, the "cafeteria approach" would be promoted in the structural arrangement of the curriculum. The concept of core and optional courses with a modular credit-based approach with the possibility of doing these courses in an open and flexible manner would be promoted. The UGC would review and strengthen the existing curricula in each subject through its curriculum development centres and work out an implementation strategy with the help of a panel of experts in each subject. A special programme would be launched to develop print material (books) in English and the regional languages. In addition, intensive support would be given to subject workshops and seminars so as to enable teachers to work out new approaches in teaching and learning in their own disciplines/subjects.
Universities would be encouraged to make their three- year structure more flexible so to allow students pursue both degree and utility-oriented certificate/diploma programmes simultaenously. This would give students access to more employment opportunities and be a passport to a better life
The market economy works on the principle of the division of labour, which also implies division of "knowledge". The generalist education needs to be made career-oriented so that the trained "generalists" find more openings rather than clamouring for "administrative" government jobs (which are not growing and are bound to decline in future). . The UGC would like to encourage a large number of skill-oriented and value-added add-on courses in colleges which students can take while studying for their degrees. These could be certificate and diploma level courses to be done at first, second and third levels during the three-year period with enhancement in skills and expertise with the passage of time. The universities would be encouraged to make their three-year structure more flexible so to allow students to pursue both degree and utility-oriented certificate/diploma programmes simultaneously. At the end of three years, the students would get a degree in science/arts/humanities/social science/commerce and a skill-oriented and value-added addon career orientation.
They would thus have a passport to employment and a better life. The Vocational Education Programme that was initiated in the VIIIth Plan would be further strengthened with added dimensions as spelt out above.
The relevance of higher education, for the past several decades, has been synonymous with the inclusion of vocational subjects in the conventional education system. This practice has inherent defects. The teaching and learning in the core subjects is compromised even as the professional subject is dealt with in a marginal way. Such graduates are, therefore, very reluctantly accepted in industry. Moreover, they cannot become entrepreneurs also. The emergence of knowledge-linked societies, in a new economic environment, requires graduates with a sound base in the fundamentals of the core subjects. This knowledge of these graduates should be enhanced by adding on appropriate utility-oriented skills. . It would, therefore, be desirable to go in for an open and flexible education approach where students can simultaneously pursue a degree course and add-on utility-oriented programmes. The students, therefore, need to be allowed to acquire an advanced diploma along with a degree or go for an additional year of intensive professional subject training and get two degrees at the end of the fourth year.
The clever integration of conventional, open and private education, in an open and flexible structure, would help address questions like the increasing demand and utility of higher education.
It is also necessary to create bridges for integrating the conventional, open and private education sectors. India now has a huge but non-regulated private education sector. The institutes in this sector are mostly involved in job-oriented skills generation. This sector not only needs to be regulated for quality but also accredited. The recognised integration of the private and public education systems would also help to address the question of demand and relevance. We also need to revive the proposal for setting up private universities. The clever integration of conventional, open and private education, in an open and flexible structure, would help address issues like increasing demand and utility of higher education.
There are several disadvantaged groups in India — SCs/ STs and backward classes, minorities, differently abled people, and women. The UGC would provide, under the principle of equity, several programmes for such groups like special training activities to enhance skills, hostels and incentives for professional courses.
The UGC would promote teaching and research in emerging areas in humanities, social sciences and pure sciences. The emphasis would on supporting such areas that cut across disciplines and subjects like health, gerontology, environment, bio-technology, disaster management, defence strategies, applied sociology, stress management, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and its impact on the economy, history of science, Asian philosophy and other areas to be identified by subject experts.
| Type of Institutions of Higher Education :2001-2002 |
| Type of Institutions | No. of Institutions |
| Central Universities | 18 |
| State Universities | 178 |
| Institutions Deemed to be Universities | 52 |
| Institutions established through State Legislation | 5 |
| Colleges | 13,150 |
| * Includes Indira Gandhi National Open University and Central Agricultural University, Imphal. |
Universities also need to be supported selectively for achieving greater heights in teaching and research. Therefore, UGC would like to identify a few universities with potential, ask them to devise strategies, and mechanisms to achieve quality in their postgraduate teaching and research and ensure that the positive outcome of this percolates to undergraduate colleges. The UGC would provide substantial funds to do the task in a time-bound manner. These universities would work, as 'lead universities' in the region where they are situated.
The UGC would also like to help universities with geographical disadvantage by providing block grants. The development grants to each university would be enhanced and will also have component that that will be linked to new approaches and assured performance.
GATS and Higher Education
The General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS), which was signed as part of the World Trade Organising (WTO), initiated the liberalisation of trade in services.
Education is a large and expanding service industry. The WTO has estimated that global public spending on education is equivalent of RS. 47,00,000 crore. GATS has classified "services" into 12 sectors and the education sector includes primary, secondary, higher, adult and other education services.
The mammoth Indian higher education structure, in spite of all its weaknesses, is still a well-knit and sound system. In India, higher education is both a social and an economic infrastructure.The Indian higher education system, which is now globally accepted as a quality education services, viz., "consumption abroad" through the presence of Indian students in foreign universities, "cross border supply" through teachers working abroad, and "commercial presence" through setting up of schools/colleges/ universities in other countries. In a way, India has partially privatised higher education by initiating non-grant teaching programmes and a dual fees structure for professional subjects.
GATS would open India's education sector to foreign universities. India will have to respond in a proactive manner by adopting an open and flexible structure letting students to combine traditional, open and skill-oriented education and allowing private providers. At the same time, it will also have to export higher education. Government rules and regulations will, therefore, have to be more conducive for easy export. GATS is a challenge which is to be met without compromising on considerations of equity and access to Indian students.
UGC would identify and fund universities and colleges which have "potential for excellence ".
Another exercise that would be undertaken is to review and support the replacement of obsolete equipment in postgraduate departments.
There are colleges with good quality of undergraduate teaching. Many have used their "autonomy" in an innovative manner to achieve better standards in teaching. The UGC would like to identify such colleges and give them the status of "college with potential for excellence" and fund them substantially to attain higher standards in teaching. Postgraduate education is also imparted in colleges. There is need to pay special attention to this important sector and the UGC would fund such colleges to improve and strengthen their infrastructure.
The scientific and technological human capital in India is diverse and is of top quality in some disciplines. This has been possible because in the sixties, the best students went in for science education. However, it has become extremely obvious that today's bright students seem to be shying away from science. The top scoring students opt for professional subjects and only those in the middle and lower ranks go in for science. It is a reality that in few years' time, all our top research organisations would face a shortage of good science graduate input. The UGC would strengthen science education at the undergraduate level in colleges and universities. But it would also promote four institutions that would go in for a five-year teaching activity with a grade structure and integrated teaching and research approach and a "cafeteria" approach. These institutions would be "stand alone" systems with direct tie-ups with research laboratories and industries for sharing of infrastructure and experts.
The real strength of the Indian higher education system would come through allowing college and university departments to work in more open and transparent environment.
The real strength of the Indian higher education system would come through allowing college and university departments to work in a more open and transparent environment. It is the sense of ownership and responsibility that makes any system result-oriented and credible. The UGC would, therefore, like to pursue the concept of autonomy with more vigour. Academic freedom with , opportunity for enhanced organisational efficiency (allowing innovation) would be promoted through a reward-based Autonomy Promotion Activity (APAC).
Each college and university would be encouraged to adopt quality in their academic and organisational approach. They would be asked to go through the National Assessment and Accreditation Council's (NAAC) process of assessment and accreditation. The emphasis would be on identifying their strengths and potentialities as well as their weaknesses and lacunae. The accreditation would be linked to financial incentives.
Promoting and strengthening outreach activities
Colleges and universities would continue to play a dominant role in social change through outreach activities. Managing business and societal obligations simultaneously have become an integral part of one's work and lifelong learning is very essential for those who have been educated in the conventional education system and also those who have never got an opportunity to learn. Universities and colleges need to be used as a focal point of activities to spread and sustain the torch of lifelong-learning.
Universities and colleges need to be used as a focal point of activities to spread and sustain the torch of lifelong-learning.
Universities would, therefore, be supported to take up a large variety of activities in fields like:
Adult Education, to equip them with skills and enhance their utility, and Continuing Education for people in professions to enhance their expertise and skills.
Outreach activities in women's studies, environment, human rights and rights of vulnerable groups (gender age and social disparities).
Special training-cum-exposure programmes in value education with special reference to transition to work culture and work ethics, transition to adulthood, coping with the demanding (and cruel) world, art of living, positive health and similar topics which foster the values of sustainable development and raising the quality of life.
Higher education is a dynamic phenomenon. The teaching and learning process, which imparts skills to a learner, gets further strengthened if it is integrated with research.
Research and teaching: An Inseparable Link
Higher education is a dynamic phenomenon. The teaching and learning process, which equips learners with skills, gets further strengthened if it is integrated with research. Research keeps the process of inquiry vibrant and alive. It is, therefore, very essential to support research activities in universities. Ongoing programmes like Departmental Research Support (DRS), Departmental Special Assistance (DSA) and Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) would, therefore, be further strengthened.
Links with other government agencies like Department of Science and Technology, Defence Research and Development Organization, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Atomic Energy, and Indian Space Research Organization need to be used innovatively to support teaching and research in universities. The UGC would muster support from these agencies for initiating/strengthening the existing teaching and research activities. Indeed, it can form an additional component in UGC's X Plan.
The UGC would, on its own, widen (in terms of areas and scope) and enhance (in terms of total allotment and upper limit for funding) the scheme of research funding so as enable university teachers to take up major research projects. The emerging areas, apart from those in the field of science and technology, in liberal arts, humanities, social sciences, literature, economics, law etc. need to be identified and supported for funding. The UGC would set up a Research Funding Council for bringing research into the centrestage of university activities.
The focus would be on promoting cross-research in allied fields and to think of "ideas that would work".
Priority would be given to interdisciplinary research in all fields. The focus would be on promoting cross-research in allied fields and to think of "ideas that would work". A special funding needs to be allotted for this purpose. Special efforts have to be made to cultivate a culture of (a) doing more application-oriented work and (b) safeguarding research outputs. University research workers are unfamiliar with the process of patenting of knowledge. They do not also have a financial support to undertake such a task. The UGC would give emphasis on this aspect and separate funding needs to be allotted for this.
The inter-university centres concept has been effectively used to create:
Centres which concentrate on research in specific fields, (Research IUCs') like the National Science Centre at New Delhi, Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Pune, UGC-DAE centre at Indore and Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla.
Centres which do support jobs to enhance the quality of teaching and research (Support IUCs'), like the Consortium for Educational Communication at New Delhi, NAAC at Bangalore and Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) at Ahmedabad.
SALIENT FEATURES OF THRUST AREAS OF VIII PLAN
Redesigning of Courses, joint funding in emerging areas
of Science & Technology
Quality improvement of Education including campus development.
Autonomous and Academic Staff Colleges.
National Educational Testing (NET) and Accreditation of
Universities/Colleges (NACC).
Strengthening of undergraduate and postgraduate education and research in colleges.
-COSIP, COHSSIP, ULIP, Examination Reforms.
Quality Improvement Programmes
-SAP/COSIST/INFLIBNET/IUCs/USICs/Research Projects/Fellowships.
Adult, Continuing and Distance Education, Media Centres
and management of Higher education
The Research-IUCs were established with certain objectives in mind. There is need to revisit these objectives and to draw up a focused mission statement for the coming decade. Firstly, to make the centres up to date in terms of infrastructure (from the point of view of scientific capability) and secondly to create an operational mechanism to provide access to all research workers (IUCs provide a service to research scholars and teachers in colleges and universities). They should have a ten-year plan and think of development components that could be included in the X Plan.
The Support-IUCs would have to adopt a professional approach to meet the pressure of increasing demand. The exercise should be to ensure fast and efficient service of the desired standard. A mix of modern technology with optimal human power is needed to achieve the desired goals. They also need to plan for ten years and identify components that could become part of the X Plan.
The UGC would promote opportunities for foreign students to study in Indian colleges and universities.
The concept of national centres would be strengthened and information centres at the Indian Institute of Science (I.I.Sc.), Bangalore, S.N.D.T., Mumbai, and M.S. University, Vadodara would form the repository for scientific literature and data. They would be on the backbone of the information highway and would keep all research journals in different disciplines and subjects on their server's electronic mode and make these available to all colleges and universities. This would enhance researchers' access to resources throughout India, which, in turn, should improve the quality of research in universities.
Exporting of Higher Education and Internationalisation of Higher Education
In the context of globalisation of higher education, it is necessary to evolve a policy to promote the free flow of students from other nations to India as well as allow Indian students to get educated in other nations. The Indian higher education system is now recognised as one of the better systems for producing a talented workforce. Foreign universities are also keen to establish their activities in India through "twin arrangements" with Indian universities.
The UGC would promote opportunities for foreign students in Indian colleges and universities by "study abroad" programmes for foreign universities and also by reserving a certain percentage of seats in each of the degree programmes. A special management approach would be adopted by setting up an International Cell in each university.
Universities would be encouraged to expand their activities outside India by promoting web-based education and also by initiating twin programmes in other countries. Special funds would be provided for fostering an export culture in the universities.
The sheer size of the system and the competitive scenario that is emerging because of the globalisation of education demands the use of ICT in the management and organisation of higher education.
Managing and Organising Higher Education
The management of colleges and universities, in this rapidly changing education scenario, needs to be professionalised. The system has become very large and complex. The complexity has arisen because of a disconnect between decisions on academic matters (that are taken by various Authorities and Bodies) and operational strategies. The entire academic decision-making process is committee-based and the conversion of such "resolution-based-decisions" into "student friendly" operative mechanisms is weak. Moreover, the system has become huge in terms of the number of disciplines and subjects it offers and the number of students it caters to. Thus, the sheer size of the system and the competitive scenario that is emerging because of the globalisation of education demands the use of ICT in the management and organisation of higher education. The UGC would, therefore, develop an approach for making college and university administration more professional, open and transparent. The management information system (MIS) approach with the use of computers would be implemented in all the colleges and universities.
Funds for Higher Education
The primary duty of any government is to fully support the entire education sector for its infrastructure and recurring costs. This line of thinking still prevails in the minds of those who manage, those who impart education and those who get advantage from higher education.
Higher education requires larger amounts of funding not only to retain, but also to enhance, its newly found identity (the nation that generates knowledge experts). The funding for higher education should, therefore, be taken to the promised level of 6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). The higher education sector would be encouraged to generate at least 25 per cent of the budgetary provision for each university by:
Developing a different fee structure based on the economic capacity of the students/parents.
Promoting profit making outreach activities useful for industry and society in general.
Generating finances through Indians abroad and export of higher education.
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Financial Support
Tenth Plan