The Human Resource
Development Minister Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi today called upon
Higher Education Secretaries of different States to take a long-term
view of the requirements of the education sector so that adequate
facilities are created to take care of rising number of students
and also to cater to the emerging employment scenario.
Addressing the
Conference of State Higher Education Secretaries here today the
Minister said that planning for the higher education sector will
have to keep the 12th Plan in view because the impact
of the initiatives taken under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan on this
sector will be felt only after a decade. Traditional institutions
will not be able to cater to the massive rise in demand for higher
education and to the employment needs of that time. Therefore,
there is need to reorient the educational system and make it more
flexible, with a long-term view, the Minister argued.
Dr. Joshi suggested
that instead of opening new universities and colleges, states
should make the best use of available facilities by sharing them
among different institutions. He suggested sharing of expensive
scientific instruments, libraries and workshops and teaching in
shifts to optimize existing facilities. The Minister emphasised
the need to promote and standardize distance learning to supplement
regular stream of higher education. This, he said, would go a
long way in expanding higher education without huge investments
in civil infrastructure. States should also make the best use
of information and communication technology, especially the educational
channels started by UGC and IITs.
The Minister
called upon the States to promote quality in higher education.
He requested the State Secretaries to get accreditation of universities
and colleges done by the NAAC, which he said is also being made
mandatory for funding by the UGC. While upgrading and updating
the content care should be taken to make it relevant to the Indian
society. Similarly, in trying to globalise the content, contribution
of India in various spheres should not be lost sight of, he said.
While cautioning
the Education Secretaries against falling teaching standards in
universities and emphasizing that accountability on the part of
teaching community was of paramount importance, Dr. Joshi requested
them to sensitize the bureaucracy towards keeping the teaching
community, more so the Vice Chancellors, in high esteem.
The Minister
of State, Prof. Rita Verma, stressed on the need to standardize
the higher education to make it competitive.
Speaking on the occasion,
Shri S.K. Tripathi, Secretary, Secondary and Higher Education,
said that it has become essential to bring out academic reforms
and greater flexibility in our approach towards curricula. For
one, a dual degree mode of education - regular degree as well
as diplomas for specialized courses - could be provided which
would help make education job-oriented. Colleges should also focus
on offering a slew of majors in subjects like electronic sciences,
computer systems, biochemistry, communicative engineering, genetics
and biotech. In arts and commerce, there could be courses in new
career options such as fashion technology and design, hotel management
and the media. And also the newest sunshine industry: call centres
or business process outsourcing. With India poised to be the housekeeper
to the world - with over two million jobs for the asking - colleges
could consider setting up courses to orient students towards this
vocation.
The Secretary
also pointed out that it may now be the right time to think of
restructuring academic courses so as to gradually shift to the
credit system, as is the trend all over the world today. This
would be necessary for universities to maintain global standards
and thereby earn global recognition. Besides, it has also become
necessary to ensure quality assurance in higher education towards
making it internationally comparable. For this purpose, the National
Assessment and Accreditation Council established under the UGC
has been striving hard to promote the concept of quality among
the institutions of higher learning. NAAC has so far assessed
around 260 institutions of higher learning with an internationally
accepted methodology of quality assurance, Dr. Tripathi informed.
The Conference
was also addressed by Chairman, UGC, Dr. Arun Nigvekar.
The focus of
the deliberations at the Conference was on quality upgradation
and use of distance education for supplementing the formal stream,
in the light of the issues raised by the Human Resource Development
Minister.
