Tag Archives: higher education

5 Takeaways from New Education policy 2017

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Indian Minister of State for Human Resource Development Satya Pal Singh has said that the new education policy is in final stages and it would be announced in December.

Inaugurating a ‘National Academic meet’ in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, Satyapal Singh said the policy envisages to ‘correct’ the course of education system in the country, that has followed a colonial mindset. The Minister said it will be the first education policy that was discussed layer by layer and threadbare.

He pointed out that unfortunately after independence, most of the academicians followed the footsteps of British and Western scholars and deliberately denigrating Indian culture. Stating that the biggest challenge being faced by the education system and the government is ‘how to de-colonise the Indian mind’ and the government is working on the policy in this regard.

Dr. Singh said improving the quality of education from the primary level, making higher education affordable to people and accessing higher education to more are some of the major issues faced by the education system. He said skill development is one of the major areas the government has given thrust upon.

To prevent the exodus of students to foreign countries seeking education, Dr. Singh said the higher education institutions should be developed to the standard of Centres of International Excellence. He said accessibility to higher education in the country is only 25.6 per cent while in USA 86 per cent Germany 80 and in China 60 per cent.

The Minister pointed out that the aim of the government is to improve the higher education system in the country to make available to more students. Stating that higher education is very expensive, Dr. Singh said it has to be made more affordable to all sections in the society.

Indicating that changes are necessary in the Right to Education Act, Dr. Singh said the Act lacks teeth. The Act provides right to compulsory primary education. But what is the remedy if parents do not send their children to school. So many things have to be done in improving the primary education in the country’, he added.

The meet was organised by Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram as part of the navathi celebration of P Parameswarn, Director of Vichara Kendram.

National Eligibility Test

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Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Department of Higher Education vide letter dated 15.05.2017 had asked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to continue to conduct the UGC-NET examination as per the existing schedule.

University Grants Commission (UGC) has intimated that a total of 11,16,526 number of candidates had appeared for the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) exam during 2016-17 (July 2016 and January 2017) which was 31,566 more than the number of candidates appeared for the exam during 2015-16 (June 2015 and December 2015). However, the qualifying percentage of students, who have taken four such recent examinations during 2015-2017, has ranged between 3.99% (January, 2017) to 4.96% (December, 2015).

This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey today in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question.

Quota of OBCs in higher education

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The University Grants Commission(UGC) has circulated the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 and Amendment Act, 2012 to all Central Educational Institutions directing them to implement reservation provisions for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) including admission of OBC students to these Institutions. UGC has issued instruction to all the grant-in-aid institutions funded by the Central Government, except minority Institutions under Article 30(1) of the Constitution of India to implement 27% reservation for OBCs.

As per the information available with the Ministry, during 2015-16, 22 out of 40 Central Universities have successfully achieved the prescribed percentage of student intake from OBC Community. Some of the universities like Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Milia University and some like Mizoram University, Nagaland University, North Eastern Hill University could not achieve the prescribed percentage as these were either minority institutions or were situated in Tribal dominated areas where less OBC students apply for admissions. All Indian Institutes of Technology/National Institutes of Technology/Indian Institutes of Information Technology achieved the stipulated 27 % intake of OBC students. Further, 13 Indian Institutes of Management out of 19 and 22 out of 31 National Institutes of Technology recorded more than the stipulated 27% student intake.

The Government of India and UGC has been continuously monitoring the progress of implementation of Reservation policy for OBCs in admission to courses at all level in Universities/Institutions.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development through UGC instructs Universities/Institutions to furnish periodic reports on the implementation of reservation guidelines for OBCs for admissions to courses at all level and Hostel accommodation for students.

UGC has a dedicated SC/ST/OBC section which monitors effective implementation of the Reservation Policy for all communities including OBCs in admission and recruitment to various posts in universities and colleges.

This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey today in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question.

Scheme for Poor Students

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The Central Government is sensitive to the needs of students belonging to the economically weaker sections of the society and is committed towards ensuring equity in access to higher education.

Under the Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship scheme for College and University Students, financial assistance is provided to meritorious students having family income of less than Rs. 6 lakh per annum to meet a part of their day-to-day expenses while pursuing higher studies. Students who are above 80th percentile of successful candidates in the relevant streams from a particular Board of Examination in class XII of 10+2 pattern or equivalent and pursuing regular course and not availing of any other scholarship, are eligible for consideration under this scheme.

Further, under the Central Sector Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Education Loan interest subsidy is provided to all students belonging to Economically Weaker Section (EWS), with an annual parental income up to Rs.4.5 lakhs. The Scheme provides for full interest subsidy during the period of moratorium (i.e. duration of recognised professional course plus 1 year) on educational loans availed of by all students belonging to EWS from Scheduled Banks, including Co-operative & Regional Rural banks, as per the Model Educational Loan Scheme of Indian Banks’ Association.

Also, the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been launched with the objective of making best use of ICT with the purpose of identification and nurturing of talent and life-long learning as well as extending the education facility to a larger section of people.

This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey today in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.