27,000 new institutions needed for 30% GER by 2020

India needs more than 27,000 additional institutions of higher learning to meet a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) target of 30 per cent by the year 2020, the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has said.

In a presentation on "Expansion of Higher Education" made to the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to the ministry, it said the number included 14,000 colleges of general higher education, 12,775 technical and professional institutions and 269 additional universities.

The meeting was chaired by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, who sought the cooperation of the Members of Parliament (MPs) to help India become a world power by 2020. Minister of State D Purandeswari was also present at the meeting.

The presentation said the Ministry was guided in the formulation of its policy by the National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986 as amended in 1992. It said various measures taken by the Ministry included enhanced public spending in higher education, encouragement to private investment in the sector without compromising on the NPE framework, incentivising state governments to enhance investment and to encourage investment through philanthropy. The proposed fresh legislations for the higher education sector were also outlined in the presentation.

Members raised questions about the regulatory framework planned for private participation in the education sector and the steps being taken to incentivise people to enter the teaching profession.

They also expressed concern about the inadequate numbers of teachers in state universities and colleges as well as about the proliferation of technical institutions.

Mr Sibal assured the MPs that the proposed overarching body in higher education would have the mandate to enforce quality and good governance procedures in higher education institutions.

He also said that, because of resource constraints, the Central Government may not be able to launch a programme on the lines of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan for higher education.

The Minister said that, over and above the additional spending by the Union Government for building new Central Universities and degree colleges in educationally backward districts and the scheme for incentivising state governments for expanding higher education, the state governments would also have to look for private investment.

He stated that when foreign universities come to India they would not be allowed to make profits through tuition fees. According to him, even in the West universities depend on endowments for a larger percentage of their finances.

Mr Sibal said India needed to set up a world class institute in humanities. He pointed out that salaries for teaching faculties had been enhanced substantially in order to make the profession more lucrative for them.

NNN