New Delhi, May 8: India will soon have a landmark five year plan for improving access and quality of higher education across the country. The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is working on a new program termed EQUIP- Education Quality Improvement Program- which is likely to be rolled out after the formation of the new government.
The program will be presented to the new government, may be put up for Cabinet approval in July
As per a statement given by a senior MHRD official to ThePrint, EQUIP was conceptualised as there was no single-window programme for the development of higher education up till now and the need for a such a program was present. The plan would be presented to the next government and, if everything works well, it would be presented for the Cabinet’s approval in July.
Although, the Loksabha elections are going on, the Ministry is working in full swing on giving a final shape to the program. Officials at the Ministry believe that the program has nothing to do with the current political environment. It is being developed with the sole focus to strengthen the higher education system which is purely academic process. EQUIP would be to the Indian higher education system what the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan is to school education. It is likely to be a landmark reform in the coming years.
The HRD Ministry is taking the services of several experts for the formulation of this plan. The list of experts includes senior most officials from Niti Aayog including CEO Amitabh Kant, representatives from Infosys and other technology corporates, former vice chancellors and prominent educationists. These experts have been assigned to different teams and focus on ten focus areas of EQUIP. The focus areas include aspects like accessibility, accreditation, employment, research, governance and finance. Each team would look at individual areas.
EQUIP would be to higher education what SSA has been to school education,
ThePrint had reported that a meeting was held last month at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) between officials from the ministry and the experts on the future of higher education. As per latest information, one group is working on a plan to create more institutions of eminence and registering a stronger Indian presence in the World Top 100. Another group is working on governance and funding issues. The ministry also intends to achieve more clarity and transparency in the matters like appointment of Vice Chancellors and financial grants.