@appointed as Chairman w.e.f. 24.3.2006 on the vacancy caused due to the relinquishment of Chairmanship by Shri Vayalar Ravi w.e.f 29.1.2006 consequent on his induction into the Union Cabinet

*nominated w.e.f .23.8.2005

@@ Ceased to be a member of the Committee on expiry of his term in Rajya Sabha w.e.f. 2.4.2006

** Ceased to be a member of the Committee on expiry of her term in Rajya Sabha w.e.f. 18.8.2005

^nominated w.e.f. 25.9.2005

^^ Ceased to be member w.e.f. 27^th March, 2006

$ Ceased to be member w.e.f. 23^rd December, 2005.

SECRETARIAT

Shri N.C. Joshi, Additional Secretary

Smt. Vandana Garg, Joint Secretary

Shri N.K. Singh, Director

Shri J. Sundriyal, Under Secretary

Shri Swarabji B., Committee Officer

Smt. Meena Kandwal, Research Officer

PREFACE

I, the Chairman of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development, having been authorized by the Committee, do hereby present this Hundred Seventy-Second Report of the Committee on University and Higher Education.

2. The University and Higher Education is faced with newer challenges emerging out of an unprecedented changes taking place in different areas of the global plane. Expansion of knowledge and information technology had added new dimensions to this area. In view of this, university and higher education in the country needs to be transformed, supported and empowered accordingly. While quality and relevance of our higher education is a big concern, the lack of access and equity in higher education is no less important. In fact, promoting research and development, modern management in education, promoting basic sciences, education under GATS, etc. are the areas, which require immediate attention and these could be achieved only after the nation has a world-class university and higher education system. Apart from these, pressure on higher education is bound to increase in future. It is, therefore, high time that the university and higher system gears itself to face the demands and challenges. The Committee notes the growth in private initiatives in university and higher education sector and this trend is going to get further momentum as higher education has been defined as ‘service’ under GATS.

3. The Committee decided to make an in-depth study of our university and higher education with a view to identify the challenges before the university and higher education and to broadly suggest measures to make it more competitive and affordable.

4. The Committee invited memoranda from public, interacted with academia, vice-chancellors, education administrators and experts on various occasions and visited many institutions of higher learning in the country to understand and deliberate on issues threadbare. The Committee held discussion on various related issues with the representatives of C.I.I., ASSOCHAM, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Education Promotion Society for India, AMITY and also from the Association of Indian Private Universities.

5. The Committee also held extensive discussion with Secretary, Department of Secondary and Higher Education and Chairman, University Grants Commission and other concerned officials on a number of occasions.

6. The Committee considered and adopted the Report at its meeting held on the 25^th January 2006 and authorized Shri Vayalar Ravi the then Chairman to present the Report to the House. However, he could not present the Report consequent on his induction into the Union Council of Ministers w.e.f 29.1.2006. Now the Committee has authorized me to present the Report.

NEW DELHI

May 16, 2006

1928, (Saka)

JANARDAN DWIVEDI

Chairman, Vaisakha 16, Department-latedParliamentary

Standing Committee onHuman Resource Development

REPORT

I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Indian Tradition

India has a glorious and rich tradition of learning since ancient times, which in fact, was looked upon as the highest pursuit of mankind. The quest for higher knowledge and enlightenment has been continuously transmitted to posterity and kept alive for a long time through the Gurukulas and Ashrams run by our sages and Rishis. Subsequently, there were world famous seats of learning like Takshashila and Nalanda Universities and the likes spread through the length and breadth of the country. These universities attracted students from far and wide and enjoyed international reputation. Nevertheless, with the passage of time, these ancient seats of learning/knowledge vanished perhaps because they outlived their utility to the needs and aspirations of the contemporary society. Universities then re-entered the Indian scene in 1857, when universities of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras were set up followed by the one at Allahabad in 1887.

1.2 Growth after Independence

1.2.1 At the time of Independence, India had only 20 universities and 500 colleges located in different parts of the country with an enrolment of around a hundred thousand students and participation of women being highly restricted. Determined efforts were made to build a network of universities and the affiliated colleges with a view to expanding the scope and outreach of the higher education. The country has gradually built up now a very large system of higher education and has created a vast pool of men and women of international calibre in different areas of life.

Institutions	1950-51	1990-91	2004-05
Universities	30	117	229+(95)*
Colleges	750	7346	16000 (1849)#
Enrolment (‘000)	263	4925	9228
Teachers (‘000)	24.0	272.7	436^

*Deemed Universities

# Women Colleges

^for the year 2002-2003

1.2.2 India has today 324 universities (including Deemed ones) and equivalent institutions including general universities, science and technology universities, open universities, agricultural universities, women's universities, language universities and medical universities. In addition, there are about 16000 colleges where 80% of undergraduate and 50% of postgraduate education is imparted. The number of students enrolled in universities & colleges in 2005 was 9.28 million, of which 3.6 million i.e. 40 per cent were women.

1.3 Commissions/Committees

1.3.1 The growth of higher education in India has been guided by recommendations and suggestions made by various Committees, Boards and Commissions set up before and after Independence. They are Woods Dispatch (1854), Hunter Commission (1882), the Indian Universities Commission(1902), Central Advisory Board of Education (1923), Inter-University Board (now known as Association of Indian Universities) (1924), the University Education Commission (1948), the Education Commission (1964), Committee on Problems of University Administration (1969), Committee on Governance of Universities (1969), Review Committee on UGC (1977), Committee on the Working of Central Universities (1982). The University Education Commission (1948) that was headed by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan set out the aims of higher education in the following words:

“Democracy depends for its very life on a high standard of general, vocational and professional education. Dissemination of learning, incessant search for new knowledge, unceasing effort to plumb the meaning of life, provision for professional education to satisfy the occupational needs of our society are the vital tasks of higher education”

1.3.2 The Education Commission (1964) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari recommended inter alia to set up six universities; promoting inter-disciplinary research in universities; development of affiliated colleges and granting autonomous status to outstanding ones; improvement in quality of teaching and learning; introduction of internal and continuous evaluation in place of external examination. The Commission also visualized having three years first degree followed by second or research degrees of varying durations.

1.4 National Policy on Education – 1986

In the wake of the Report of the Education Commission (1964), the first National Policy on Education was formulated in 1968. Making a fresh assessment of status of education in the country, almost a quarter of century later, the National Policy on Education was adopted in 1986 which reaffirmed that education was a unique investment in the present and the future. The policy urged that in the context of the unprecedented expansion of knowledge, higher education has to become dynamic, constantly covering uncharted and newer areas. It also proposed that a large number of universities and colleges in the country needed all-round improvement and that the main emphasis in the immediate future should be on their consolidation and expansion. The policy underlined the need for launching the ‘open university system’ as an instrument of democratizing and making education more accessible. It also felt the importance of the rural universities to take up the challenges of micro-planning at grassroots for the transformation of the rural areas.

1.5 Structure of Higher Education

1.5.1 In Article 246 of our Constitution, education has been placed as Entry 25 in the Concurrent List under the Seventh Schedule, which allows both Central and State Governments to establish and administer universities, those in turn set up/affiliate colleges - main bodies of higher education in India. Universities, thus, may be Central as well as State universities. Most of the universities in India are "affiliating universities" which affiliate colleges and prescribe their courses of study, hold examinations and award degrees, while teaching is imparted by the affiliated colleges. Universities impart mostly postgraduate education and conduct and promote research in a variety of disciplines.

1.5.2 There are also professional universities such as technical, medical, law and agricultural, which are established by State governments. They are also of unitary and affiliating types. The third category is of open universities established by central and state governments, which offer open and flexible education through distance mode using correspondence courses, modern educational technology like multimedia, interactive TV, Edusat etc. Then, there are deemed to be universities established under Section 3(f) of the UGC Act. There are also autonomous colleges, which themselves prescribe the curriculum and conduct evaluation of their students through a system of continuous evaluation.

1.5.3 Apart from universities and colleges, there are also some institutions offering professional UG, Graduate, PG and research programmes established as Centres of Excellence, some by an Act of Parliament such as IITs and others at the instance of the Central Government such as National Law Institutes, National Institute of Design, Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Fashion Technology, etc.

1.6 Coordination in Higher Education

1.6.1 Different bodies are required for coordination in and smooth working of the higher education system in view of the involvement of both Centre and States. While the university system falls within the jurisdiction of the UGC, professional institutions are coordinated by different bodies. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is responsible for coordination of technical and management education institutions. The other such bodies are National Council of Teachers' Education (NCTE), Medical Council of India (MCI), Central Council of Indian Medicine, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Indian Nursing Council, the Dental Council of India, the Pharmacy Council of India, the Bar Council of India, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), etc. There are also bodies at the state level, such as State Councils of Higher Education and Medical Education. UGC has set up National Accreditation & Assessment Council (NAAC) for periodical assessment of quality and standard of universities and colleges in India. There is yet another coordinating agency called Association of Indian Universities (AIU), which has its members from all the universities and other equivalent institutions of higher education. This Association although not enjoying executive powers yet plays an important role as an agency for dissemination of information and also as an advisor, both to the Government and/ or UGC and universities.

1.6.2 The country has also a developing open university system under the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) set up in 1985. A Distance Education Council (DEC), a statutory authority under the IGNOU Act, provides development funding to open universities and distance education institutions from the funds placed at its disposal by the Central Government.

II. HIGHER EDUCATION TODAY: Important Issues

2.1 India today has a vast pool of trained and skilled manpower; it is with the help of these people that our country has made significant strides in many fields such as agriculture, industry, defence, medicine, atomic energy, space, ICT, etc. India is today seen as a nation with immense potential for providing highly skilled and professional manpower to the world. It has acquired a new identity in this respect. It is estimated that about half a million Indians are presently working as scientists, engineers, doctors, researchers and IT professionals at premier bodies & institutions throughout the world.

2.2Nevertheless, in the light of these achievements, India should not lose sight of the new problems and challenges faced by us today. Access to higher education in India has been highly restrictive; only close to 7 per cent of its students between 18-23 years are able to go for it. While this percentage is as high as 40 per cent in other countries with whom India has to compete in the coming years. Another problem before our higher education is that of relevance. While it has grown in quantity, but a lot has to be done for its quality and relevance particularly in the emerging scenario of intense competitiveness. Management of education in this era also needs to be radically reformed for imparting effective autonomy and enforcing accountability in the educational institutions. Problem of managing resources is also one of the major issues before us today.

2.3 Challenges before higher education are no more nation-centric; they have become global now, particularly after the trade in services has been brought under the GATS. Socio-economic dimension of higher education have become more significant today than ever before. If India were to achieve the developed status in this milieu of global competition, the Committee feels that there is no option but to reorient its higher education system to be vibrant, competitive, meaningful and relevant. It will have to grow both in terms of quantity as well as quality, mainly with a view to converting its vast population as asset, rather than a liability, as has been done by the China.

2.4 Our higher education system, Committee is of the view, is faced with many challenges today. The pressure on higher education system is going to further increase due to large number of additional students expected to join the higher education institutions in coming years, particularly due to upward pull generated by popular interventions like Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

2.5 It was with these concerns and the need for taking immediate measures at structural, financial, institutional as well as policy planning and implementation levels, that the Committee decided to make an in-depth study of the status of higher education in the country. To begin with, a Sub-Committee on University and Higher Education was constituted for the purpose, which worked for some time under the convenorship of Shri M. P. Abdussamad Samadani, M.P., Rajya Sabha before the full Committee took up the subject. A Press Release inviting comments/suggestions on the subject was issued in newspapers by the Committee. Tremendous response was received not only from the public at large but also from those directly or indirectly involved in the higher education field. The Committee received valuable insight and useful suggestions through written memoranda submitted to it. The Committee also held extensive discussions not only with the representatives of Union and State Government but also with Vice-Chancellors of several universities, heads of professional institutions, representatives of teaching and non-teaching community. Representatives of industry/trade and those running private universities were also consulted by the Committee. Representatives of the foreign universities working in India showed their reluctance to appear before the Committee.

2.6Mainly, the following issues/concerns emerged after the discussions: Commercialization and commodification of education due to privatization of higher education; emergence of foreign universities; problem of fake universities; need for change and reform in the governance and management in higher education; maintenance of standards in teaching, research, etc. in universities and colleges; examination reforms; access and equity in higher education; quality and relevance of higher education; enhancement of academic ambience; promotion of Indian education abroad; declining academic standards; near absence of alternative educational opportunities for school leavers; resource constraints and state financing of higher education; resource mobilisation; structure of expenditure; poor infrastructure in universities; lack of sufficient teaching staff; lack of inter-disciplinary approach and revision of syllabi/curriculum; intrusion of political process in the institution of higher education; impact of globalization on the agenda of our education in general and higher education in particular; knowledge becoming prime mover of economic growth and social progress in future; autonomy of academic institutions; de-bureaucratization of university administration; non-interference by civil servants; review of functioning of bodies like UGC, AICTE, NCTE, etc.; the level of coordination between the Central and State Governments in dealing with the deemed universities; convergence of conventional and distance education and many others. This report seeks to study these problems broadly under the following heads:

· Access and Equity;

· Relevance;

· Quality and Excellence;

· Governance and management;

· Funding;

· Private participation; and

· Globalisation and Liberalisation

· Institutional restructuring

III ACCESS AND EQUITY

3.1 The goal of moving towards equality has been reiterated in the National Policy on Education, 1986 as follows:-

“To promote equality, it will be necessary to provide for equal opportunity to all not only in access, but also in the conditions for success………..In higher education in general, and technical education in particular, steps will be taken to facilitate regional mobility by providing equal access to every Indian of requisite merit, regardless of his origin.”

3.2 Today, the national governments world over, as also the international agencies, are working for a right to education for all. The UNESCO has urged all the nations inter alia to see that no one was “excluded from higher education or its study fields… on grounds of race, gender, language, religion, or age or because of any economic or social distinctions or physical disabilities”.

3.3 The Committee observes that higher education in India was never freely available to all; it was basically elitist in nature due mainly to historical and other reasons. Even after its expansion in post-Independence period, it could not be made a mass activity. Even today, it is neither fully accessible nor equitous. The Committee is of the opinion that the issues of access & equity, in fact, are the two core issues to the expansion of higher education and hence, to the overall progress of a nation. The Committee, therefore, underlines the urgent need for broadening access to higher education by expanding it and by making it affordable.

3.4 The Committee is of the view that the two issues of access and equity are inextricably linked to one another. There are two aspects of issue of access. Firstly, it can be looked as percentage of our young people (18-23 years) who are eligible for higher education. Only close to seven per cent of our young people in this age-group today are in higher education. The corresponding figure in the OECD countries is as high as 45-50 per cent and is over 90 per cent in countries like Canada.

3.5 The Committee was informed that there are other ways also of looking at this access ratio which are given here as follows:

(a) - Percentage in terms of people - 6-7 per cent

in 18-23 age.

(b) - Percentage in terms of number - 30-35 per cent

appearing for class 12^th

who has passed class 12^th

3.6 The Committee notes that in the case of (b) and (c) categories, our performance is not too bad; it is comparable to some of the developed countries. It, however, feels that it would not be a proper way of looking at this aspect. We must look at the ‘access ratio’ in relation to our student population in the eligible group i.e. 7 per cent. It is far below the average of other countries. The Committee is of the firm opinion that if, India were to compete and survive the intense global competition in the 21^st century as knowledge/information society, this percentage will have to be increased sufficiently. The Tenth Plan, the Committee notes, has fixed a target of increasing the access ratio from 7 per cent in 2003 to 10 per cent by 2007. The Committee feels thateven this target is unlikely tobe achieved with the present level of our efforts and performance in higher education field. The Committee is happy to note the visible yearning, both in government as well as private sector, to enhance the access to and equity in our higher education system. The Committee emphasizes that we would have to set our goals high and work for it relentlessly. The Committee, therefore, recommends that our aim should be to increase the access ratio to at least 20 per cent by 2015, which could be the threshold limit for our remaining in global race as also for sustainable development of the country.

3.7 Major Constraints

3.7.1 Several social, economic, administrative and other reasons seem to act together as constraints to access and equity in higher education. Factors like rural-urban divide, gender disparity, regional imbalances, decreasing public allocation, economic hardship, increasing cost due to commercialization, etc. are some of the major reasons of this phenomena. This scenario of higher education, particularly in the ever-expanding competitive environment, does not inspire required confidence, if India were to play its assigned role at the global level. The Committee, therefore, believes that India has to rise to the occasion urgently and make its higher education system not only competitive but also accessible and affordable to everyone.

3.7.2 Dimension of this problem is not only confined to access to higher education of the age group of 18-23 years. It also extends to those in the need of continuous learning and are older than the age group of 18-23 years. The Committee feels that the demand for higher education from diverse kind of learners calls for the courses that are flexible; can be studied off- campuses and credits received are portable. The Committee desires the Government to take proactive measures in this regard urgently.

3.8 Other Imbalances

3.8.1 The Committee is dismayed to note that there was tremendous imbalance in access to higher education in urban and rural areas. Most of the colleges and universities, the Committee notes, are located in urban or semi- urban areas. Whatever colleges were in rural areas, less said is better about their quality and output. While only 16 out of every 1000 were college graduates in rural areas, 111 out of every 1000 belonged to this category in urban areas. The same trend is also discernable in relation to house-hold economic status both in rural as well as urban areas. Higher education in the country, the Committee notes, is thus largely a pro-rich and urban phenomenon.

3.8.2 Similarly, the gender disparity in higher education in India was yet another area of concern, which has been dealt with in detail elsewhere in this Report. The Committee is of the considered opinion that urban bias and gender disparity in higher education are the two main stumbling blocks to access and equity in this area. Large sections of our population, therefore, are denied access to learning for economic, cultural, religious, geographical and other reasons.

3.9 Regional Disparity

3.9.1 The Committee notes the conclusion of a study undertaken by a group of Indian scholars based in Japan and USA, which had analyzed the funding of Higher education in different states by the Department. The study has shown that Union Government’s expenditure on higher education to various states was grossly uneven. For example, last year’s budget allocation for the states like Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa etc., was highly inadequate. Per person expenditure on higher education in Bihar was Rs. 1.87, in Rajasthan Rs. 2.59 and in Orissa it was Rs. 4.07 while in States like Uttaranchal it was Rs. 105.42, in Arunachal Pradesh Rs. 105 and in Assam 77.7.

3.9.2 Another distinctive feature of regional disparity is visible in the number of colleges/institutions located in different States. The four Southern States and Maharashtra having 32% of India’s population have 46% of total general colleges and almost 60% of professional institutions. In contrast, in the States of UP, MP and Bihar (including Jharkhand) having 34% of population, only 23% of general colleges and only 14% of professional colleges are located. The Committee is concerned to see that in the most populous States where nearly 3/4^th of our population lived, the access ratio is far below the national average. It presents quite a dismal picture about the existing status of higher education in the country.

3.9.3 The Committee strongly feels that there is an urgent need to remove this regional disparity. It is high time that Central Government takes some initiatives for encouraging and helping the State Governments to set up educational institutions in tune with the global requirements

3.9.4 The Committee also emphasizes the special focus for improving access and equity in remote regions and geographically disadvantaged places. It also desires special funding and region-specific norms for North-East Region & Jammu & Kashmir. The Committee appreciates the efforts of the government for setting up Central universities in North-Eastern States. The Committee recommends that such universities may be set up in the remaining States of North-Eastern region including Sikkim at the earliest. The colleges in these areas should be given special funding in addition to normal development grants by the UGC.

3.10 SCs/STs in Higher Education

The Committee notes that the UGC had tried to help the under-privileged sections of the society through some special schemes. A Remedial Coaching scheme for the benefit of students belonging to the SC/ST and weaker sections of the society was introduced in 1994. Another scheme of remedial coaching was introduced with a view to improve the overall performance of these students in the examinations. The Commission introduced the scheme of establishment of SC/ST cells in the universities in the year 1983, with a view to provide information regarding facilities available for SC/ST students in universities and colleges. The SC/ST Cells are closely monitoring the implementation of reservation policy in higher education. But these attempts, the Committee notes have not helped much. For example, the enrolment of SCs in higher education has ranged between 8.6 per cent in 1990-91 to 11.3 per cent in 2002-03. Enrolment of ST students in higher education was between 2.1 per cent to 3.6 per cent in 1990-91 and 2003-04 respectively. The Committee recommends that special programmes for encouraging students frombackward and minority communities also need tobe prepared urgently as their participation in higher education is abysmally low, as compared to their percentage in total population. This poor situation reflects the poor enrolment and retention of all children including the SC/ST students in school education. All efforts be made to ensure the enrolment and retention of students right from school level.

3.11 Convergence of Conventional and Distance mode

The problem of access and equity is closely linked to opportunity. The Committee feels that the solution to the problem of opportunity lies in convergence of conventional with modern distance education systems with open and flexible structure. The Committee, therefore, is of the considered opinion that we must exploit our ICT potential for its penetration to the country’s remotest corners to expand the access to higher education. The Committee is of the view that the Government should make an earnest beginning to train the people for utilizing the latest technologies to make the higher education easily accessible. It would also cut across the rural-urban divide as well as gender disparities in this regard.

3.12 System of Affiliation

Another issue that Committee wishes to highlight is about system of affiliation. In India most of its 16000 odd colleges are affiliated ones. In the absence of proper facilities, many of these colleges perform only classroom teaching in a traditional way. The Committee was informed that nearly 89 per cent of UG students, 66 per cent of PG students and 85 per cent of the faculty in higher educational institutions, were in these affiliated colleges. Consequently, the M.Sc., MA, Ph.Ds that are coming out of such colleges are undoubtedly of poor quality. What is worse, in India major affiliating universities are over-burdened with the administrative works which are unproductive in academic terms. The Committee is of the view that this is certainly telling upon the academic competence of our universities. The VCs of such universities are left with no time for their academic pursuits. The Committee, therefore, recommends that there should be a cap on the number of colleges being affiliated to a university. For this, we would need to open more and more universities for which about 1000 universities and university level institutions be set up by 2015 in the Central, State and private sector. A country like Japan, it may be noted, has around 700 universities and USA has nearly 3000 of them. Besides, setting up more universities, we must encourage good colleges and institutions to acquire ‘deemed university’ or autonomous status by fulfilling the norms laid down in this regard. This, the Committee feels, would not only lessen the burden of universities but also enhance their quality and output greatly. Besides, the colleges should be encouraged to offer more and more applied courses by offering job-oriented courses particularly after 10+2. These measures, if taken up in a planned and fixed schedule would go a long way in decreasing the unnecessary burden on our universities.

3.13 Open Universities

3.13.1 Open and distance mode of learning has, in fact, had revolutionary impact on accessibility to education. Geographical distances, space and time are no longer barriers to learning because through information and communication technology education is made available even in the remotest corner of the globe. Easy access, low cost and flexible approach, in fact, are the distinct advantages of this system. A large number of countries are already using this system. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) was set up in 1985 to provide the expertise & funds for operating Open Universities in the country. IGNOU is offering programmes and courses leading to certificates, diploma and degrees in different disciplines/trades in distance mode. It has 1100 study centres spread throughout the country.

3.13.2 The Committee believes that for a vast country like India where accessibility to higher education is quite low, Open Universities have the vast potential for taking higher education to more and more people irrespective of different barriers. This system caters also for in-service persons for whom it is a second chance as well as for regular learners. It, therefore, needs to be provided greater thrust by integrating utility courses with personal development and socio-economic problems. The courses offered should be mainly job-oriented as far as possible. High priority should be given for opening more study centres particularly covering rural and remote areas with concentration of SC/ST and other backward communities’ students.

3.13.3 In view of many other Open Universities run by the State governments, the Committee feels the need for closer relationship and regular interaction between them and the IGNOU, with a view to avoiding unnecessary duplication in the production of course material etc. For this, a strong networking has to be developed amongst them. This also calls for uniformity with regard to the structure of the courses leaving adequate scope for region-specific variations.

3.13.4 The Committee’s attention has been drawn to some inherent drawbacks present in this system of education. Lack of quality faculty members, non-availability of relevant study material, lack of basic facilities like good libraries, modern labs, computer, multimedia facilities, etc. are the major issues that need immediate redressal. Absence of an effective and efficient information dissemination system to the students about various types of courses, examination schedules, results, degrees, etc. causes great hardship to students. Even at the IGNOU (HQ), students have to run from pillar to post for these things. The Committee, therefore, recommends that these aspects be looked into urgently with a view to provide an adequate and efficient delivery mechanism and support system in the IGNOU and other Open Universities. The Committee is of the considered view that to make Open Universities more attractive and relevant, efforts be made to ensure quality of study material, timely dispatch thereof, dedicated teachers at the study centres, provision of necessary infrastructure, use of ICT, etc.

3.13.5 The Committee finds that there is no accreditation system in IGNOU. It is surprised to note that the work of neither IGNOU nor any other State Open University any Correspondence Course Institutes (CCI) has ever been assessed since they started functioning. As a result, credibility of these institutions vis-à-vis mainstream education system is poor. The Committee, therefore, emphasizes the urgent need for an effective assessment and accreditation system for these institutions so as to enhance and maintain quality of education provided through the distance mode.

3.13.6 The Committee is concerned over the plight of students of open universities who are in different areas of the country. The Committee notes that they do not have a platform at present to voice their grievances effectively. The Committee, therefore, emphasizes an urgent need for putting a mechanism in place for the students to highlight/redress their grievances. Such a machinery can also be utilized for a regular feedback on the efficacy of open learning programmes.

3.13.7 The Committee notes that the students of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) are projected as poor cousins of mainstream students. It has been reported that students coming through ODL channel are found to be lower in ability and performance as compared to the mainstream students. The Committee is perturbed to note that pass percentage of ODL students is very unsatisfactory. It strongly feels that this situation needs to be corrected urgently for instilling confidence in the public about the ODL system. The Committee recommends that all necessary steps be taken urgently for improving quality as well as standard of education imparted through ODL channel so that it can be made as a popular and affordable system.

3.13.8 The Committee takes note of the fact that the open universities were able to raise some revenue by running various courses offered through distance mode, there was no facility of fee concession available to eligible students in the ODL system. The Committee finds such a system to be discriminatory. It feels strongly that the fees in this system should also be rationalised and the poor and meritorious students be given some kind of fee concessions or assistance.

3.14 Distance Education Council

The Distance Education Council (DEC) has been created under the IGNOU Act for the promotion and coordination of Open University and distance education system and for the determination of its standard. The Committee found that the opinion is divided on the power of the DEC to recognize/approve the courses/degrees being offered by the various other universities/institutions in the country by distance mode. It is argued that the DEC having been created under the Act of a university should not have such jurisdiction in respect of courses/degrees offered by the other universities. It may be pointed that the DEC has been issuing notifications to universities asking them to get their programmes approved quoting a particular Gazette Notification regarding students not being eligible for Central Government jobs, if they pursue courses not approved by the DEC. Many of the universities are not prepared to accept the DEC jurisdiction in this regard mainly on the ground that the DEC was a body under IGNOU Act. As a result, a lot of confusion has been created. The Committee feels that to make the decision explicit, there is a need to have a separate Act for the DEC for making it a regulatory body for open university and open learning system and distance mode on the lines of AICTE or UGC.

The DEC also provides development funds to open universities and other such institutions from the funds given by the Central government. The Committee is happy to note the several initiatives taken by the DEC, such as common pool of programmes, evolving common standards, system of credit transfer, etc. The Committee is also of the view that the DEC should be developed as an apex body for promoting, coordinating and determining standards in distance education more or less on the lines of the UGC in the case of conventional education.

3.15 Women & Higher Education

3.15.1 National Policy on Education, 1986 had emphasized to gear the entire education system to play a positive role for the empowerment of women by providing special support services for their education and also by removing factors, which impede the spread of women education. The ‘Programme of Action, 1992’ also proposed to use education as an agent of basic change in the status of women for neutralizing all the distortions to have a well-conceived edge in favour of the women. These well meaning proclamations by the landmark documents, the Committee feels, have remained on paper only even after more than two decades they were made. Women’s participation in higher education has been quite disappointing, despite significant contributions made by them in different areas of life. They constitute almost half of the total population of India, yet a large proportion of them is still illiterate and ignorant. In Committee’s opinion, the overall picture of women education, in fact, is of discrimination, limited opportunity, numerous obstacles and utter neglect.

3.15.2 The Department sought to make out a case before the Committee that there had been significant improvement in the position of women in higher education. The Committee was informed that the enrolment of women in higher education had increased from 10% of the total enrolment in higher education in 1950-51 to 40 per cent in 2004-05. It has also been informed that the number of women colleges has increased from 1003 in 1993-94 to 1849 in 2004-05. The Committee feels that it is not a realistic way of projecting the position of women in the higher education. These figures become meaningless if compared with the proportion of women in the age group of 18 to 23 years to the total population in this group. Secondly, their participation (40 per cent) in higher education becomes abysmally low because this percentage is, in fact, of the 7 per cent of the total youth in the eligible age group that is currently in higher education.

3.15.3 The faculty-wise women enrolment as provided in the following table presents a highly dismal picture.

Women Enrolment by Faculty: 2004-05

S.No.	Faculty	Women Enrolment	Percentage of total women enrolment
1.	Arts	21,62,482	51.07
2.	Science	8,50,255	20.08
3.	Commerce/Management	6,96,548	16.45
4.	Education	78,758	1.86
5.	Engineering/Technology	1,75,725	4.15
6.	Medicine	1,53,706	3.63
7.	Agriculture	10,585	0.25
8.	Veterinary Science	3,387	0.08
9.	Law	68,596	1.62
10.	Others	34,298	0.81

3.15.4 Of the total women enrolled during 2004-05, as may be noted, more than 50 per cent were in Arts & Humanities. Of the remaining 50 per cent 20 per cent were in Sciences; 16 per cent in Commerce & Management; just 1.86 per cent in education; 4.15 per cent in Engineering & Technology and 3.6 per cent in Medicine. The presence of women in agriculture, mainstay of Indian economy, is just negligible. It is a matter of great concern that the participation of women in the areas with great demand such as management, engineering/technology, medicine, etc. is very low in India. Such a situation, the Committee feels, does not augur well for the future of this nation. Can a nation progress in real terms and catch up with others in this fiercely competitive world with their women-folk remaining virtually outside the higher education system? The Committee, therefore, recommends that the participation of women in professional courses, which is abysmally low at present, needs to be improved manifold without further delay. More and more women as Engineers, Professors, Lawyers, Doctors, Architects and Entrepreneurs could mould the face of India to a great extent.

3.15.5 The representation of women in higher education, the Committee recommends, needs to be increased proportionately particularly, when their performance as well as number at the senior secondary level has improved greatly. Some kind of institutional mechanism for looking into this problem and coordinating various efforts made in this regard at the national level needs to be put in place. It is high time that the curriculum is redesigned to remove all gender biases as also to gender sensitize education personnel and administrators. A pro-girl-child climate in the community needs to be created for this. Provision for enough scholarships, fee concession, hostels, staff quarters, provision for transportation, etc. for women needs to be provided in the institutions of higher learning.

3.15.6 The Department appears to have no relevant and accurate statistics in respect of women’s participation in higher education. Information given by the Department to the Committee was simply taken out of UGC Annual Report 2004-05. The Committee expected the Department to provide every relevant data in respect of different components reflecting exact status of women in higher education. So much so, the allocations and expenditure made for the women-specific programmes, which form a part of gender-budgeting that every Department has to have, was conspicuous by absence in the note supplied to the Committee. The Committee is at a loss to see as to how the Department was planning for the expeditious development of women in higher education in the absence of relevant statistics/information.

3.15.7 The Department in its notes has mentioned the following schemes that were currently being run for the women: Special scheme for construction of women hostels; establishment of women’s studies centres; Day Care centres in universities, etc. The Committee notes that neither the Department nor the UGC had any concrete and targeted scheme or programme for improving the participation of women in higher education. Such an indifferent approach for this very crucial aspect is almost perilous. The Committee, therefore, recommends that formulation of targeted/specific schemes and programmes for this purpose needs to be done by the Government urgently. The Committee has learnt that a very good scheme for supporting single girl child of a parent for higher education has been announced. The Committee emphasizes the need for its wide publicity. Sufficient funds should be provided for this purpose.

3.15.8 The UGC scheme for opening women study centres in the universities, the Committee found, could not pick up and precious little appears to have been done in this regard. The Committee recommends that it must be ensured that all the universities both Central as well as State, have these centres in one form or the other, by the end of Tenth Plan period. For this, adequate funds need to be provided urgently.

3.15.9 The open distance learning, the Committee feels, could be a very potent method to fight gender disability in higher education. Studies in different areas may be promoted for women in user-friendly manner in the language they prefer with suitable study materials. Training rural women for the purpose of involving them through community participation in our development process should also be promoted. Their involvement in Sarva Siksha Abhiyan more particularly the Mid-Day Meal could make these schemes a great success. For achieving these objectives, the Committee is of the considered view, Government will have to play a pro-active, positive, interventionist role to ensure access of all eligible women to the higher education.

IV. RELEVANCE

4.1 Education, be it primary, secondary or higher, if it is not contextual and relevant, will not be able to meet the challenges and demands of the time. The Committee notes that in today’s world, things in every walk of life are changing at a very fast pace. It has, therefore, become a daunting task for education to keep pace with the challenges posed by the contemporary socio-economic transformation. Higher education, in fact, faces this impact more than other levels. Relevance of higher education, therefore, becomes of utmost significance for the development and survival of a nation in the changed global/liberal context. In the Committee’s view, its relevance should be seen with reference to marketability of the graduate and postgraduate students it produces; with reference to its reach to marginalized sections; and its relevance for the socio-economic development of a society.

4.2 The Committee notes that the problem of relevance of higher education is mainly with reference to general education i.e., Arts, Humanities & Social Science and Law & Commerce, wherein 83 % of the 92 lakhs students, i.e., 76 lakhs are enrolled. However, in today’s new economic environment, need for knowledge-workers and graduates with sound fundamentals, good analytical abilities and appropriate utility-oriented skills are on rise and they are in great demand. The Committee finds that most of our universities and colleges are providing out-dated, if not sub-standard education in these disciplines, leading to the degrees and diplomas of little or no substance. The content as well as the quality of education is mostly out of context and even if the curriculum is relevant, the teaching process is unscientific and sub-optimal. Not only this, the Committee came to know that our institutions sometimes copy syllabi from Western Universities. Standard books used for teaching are from the West and those written indigenously are usually without an original view on the subject. As a result, solutions to our problems turn out to be highly misplaced. Such an education, the Committee is of the view, would not have much relevance to our conditions and demands. It is, in fact, one of the main reasons for increasing disinterest and frustration amongst the country’s youth. The Committee recommends that the Government must take necessary measures, in consultation with experts, to ensure that required revision in the content and curriculum is carried out periodically. It has to be in keeping with indigenous conditions and requirements. There has to be an institutional mechanism to ensure that higher education remained relevant to the changing times. Process of such revision, the Committee feels, should be an on-going one for making higher education relevant and useful.

4.3. Vocational Education

4.3.1 The Committee notes that as envisaged in the National Policy on Education as also in the revised Plan of Action-1992, the UGC implemented the recommendations made by the Core Committee on Vocationalisation (Career Orientation) of Education. This was to ensure that the students at the first degree level develop knowledge, skills and attitudes for gainful employment with emphasis on self-employment. Since 1994-95, a large number of colleges and universities, the Committee was informed, had been identified to provide assistance under the scheme on selective basis. The Committee was informed that the UGC, in fact, had been receiving very good response from the universities/colleges to start vocational courses in various subjects, but not all such requests from the universities/colleges could be agreed to because of the inadequacy of funds. This, according to the Committee, indicates that the students are accepting the concept of Vocationalisation of Education as it is job-oriented and a move towards entrepreneurship. The Committee, therefore, recommends that inadequacy of funds should not act as an obstacle to vocationalisation of education. It would, in fact, reduce the undesired pressure on universities and institutions of higher learning. Adequate funds be allocated for this purpose.

4.3.2 The scheme of vocationalisation of education actually, stipulates a close coordination between the industries and educational institutions. The institutions intending to avail of the scheme of Vocationalisation of Education and applying to the UGC for financial assistance, are required to submit a letter of intent to UGC duly signed by the industries that the students will have on-the-job training and other practical experiences in their industries and that they will pick up some of the students after completion of particular vocational course. The Committee is of the opinion that linking of education with industry is something very desirable today. The Committee believes that industry-institution linkages be encouraged as this will take care of many problems simultaneously - promote relevance in the curriculum, enhance the employability of students, provide training facilities and mobilising some resources. Such an interface with industries, Committee believes, would encourage more and more students to opt for the vocational streams instead of going for the general courses, which have not much demand in the job- market. In the process, industry will also get suitable trained manpower relevant and dedicated to its needs. A body consisting of eminent persons from industry and academia be formed to lay down necessary modalities for such a partnership as soon as possible.

4.4 Dual Degree

The Committee was informed that UGC had allowed the system of earning certificate/diploma in utility-oriented programmes through parallel mode alongwith the regular degree. This is to provide an alternative to the students just in case. The AICTE has also allowed the system of earning dual degrees simultaneously. The Committee welcomes this and feels that the system of degree plus certificate/diploma in utility oriented programme appears to be quite germane to the emerging scenario where demand for skilled manpower in different disciplines is increasing at the global level. The Committee feels that our ultimate objective should be to ensure that students do not merely have to look for a job; instead they are able to create jobs for themselves and many others. Need of the hour, according to the Committee, is to develop in-house faculty and other facilities in the colleges for this purpose. This will make our colleges more vibrant and attractive. This is an area, the Committee feels, where public-private partnership can play a creative role in augmenting the activities of our colleges. The Committee at the same time expresses its apprehension about the possibility of main degree neglected at the cost of utility-oriented one, as a result, a student may not be able to show his best in either. This aspect needs to be taken care of by the UGC and AICTE. We must also put a system of accreditation for such courses.

4.5 Promoting Research

4.5.1 Research performance is one of the parameters for deciding world ranking of the universities. The fact that only one of our universities finds place in top 500 universities of the world, speaks volumes about the status of research in our country. The Committee finds that the research activities were not getting due attention in our universities, which should have been one of their real bases. In fact, there have emerged the system of premier institutes and laboratories, both in pure sciences and the social sciences and humanities, where research was moved away from our universities. As a result of separation of research from teaching, the latter acquired gradually a secondary importance. The Committee, therefore, is of the opinion that research needs to be closely linked with teaching for which scientific base in our universities needs to be strengthened that will attract not only talented students but also industry to our university laboratories.

4.5.2 Private people are not inclined to support research in universities and research being a capital-intensive activity, their participation would help greatly. The needs of the institutions, research labs and industries are mutually common. Therefore, there need to have greater degree of connectivity and cooperation. The Committee strongly feels that needs of these three entities may be interlinked to make research more relevant and productive. Inability of researchers to secure employment for themselves is also one of the reasons for such a state of affairs in this area.

4.5.3 Lack of allocation from state kitty is also a reason for poor research activities in the universities. The Committee observes that only a fraction of UGC fund is spent on research. This is one of the reasons that universities do not have much of R&D efforts. Smaller outlays mean UGC assistance to only a handful of universities. Secondly, of the research assistance that UGC extends, only a small fraction goes to specific projects; a sizable proportion thereof goes in the form of individual fellowships. The Committee feels that it would be worthwhile if the bulk of research funds from the UGC go to specific projects which have been found to be more fruitful and result-oriented the world over.

4.54 The Committee, therefore, proposes the following measures to help make research a mainstay of our higher education. Governments, both Central and State and other funding agencies should provide organized support to research activities for modernizing laboratories and removal of obsolescence in equipments on regular basis. A Research Council in UGC needs to be set up; the UGC should launch a network for access to research material and data across the universities.

4.5.5 The Committee also emphasizes the need for monitoring and evaluation of research in universities by setting up Monitoring & Evaluation (ME) units under the supervision of a Committee of eminent professors from different disciplines. It needs coordination with national laboratories. Number of fellowships also needs to be suitably enhanced so that students are attracted to undertake research in newer areas.

4.6 Promoting Basic Sciences

4.6.1 Another worrisome fact that was brought to the notice of the Committee was the future of basic sciences in India. It came to know that India’s best minds were not turning to pure and basic sciences and those who do, do not continue. The students are not finding the basic sciences attractive enough to pursue it as a career. Less than 3% of our school children, the Committee was informed, were generally opting today for pure sciences. Many colleges were closing down their science departments, not to speak of opening new institutions for imparting science education. The students have more preference for courses in management, commerce, engineering, IT and related areas.

4.6.2 India has had a long tradition of pure sciences, the Committee is concerned to notice the increasing disinterest among the younger generations in this area. It was mainly because of non-availability of suitable job opportunities and other incentives in the pure sciences. The Committee finds this situation disquieting because India badly needs to integrate R&D activities in sciences with its economic and social programmes, because science must serve the socio-economic and other needs of our society. Science & Technology has to play a greater role in prevention, mitigation and management of the impact of natural disasters like earthquakes and Tsunamis. The Committee, therefore, feels that we must find ways of making the study of pure as well as applied sciences, both in teaching & research, more attractive for our students, if India were to use science for the welfare of its people. We must augment further our efforts in critical areas like agricultural production, food processing, energy, transportation, communication, etc. so as to be able to compete and excel in the global arena. Immediate steps, therefore, need to be taken for popularizing the study of basic sciences by having career-oriented programmes in applied sciences. Adequate incentives and infrastructure for research & development is needed urgently. The base for sciences in the universities needs to be rebuilt and strengthened by taking newer initiatives in the frontier areas.

4.6.3 The de-bureaucratization in most of the scientific & technological institutions, will have to be ensured for promoting research activities and preserving their academic autonomy.

4.6.4 The entire science & technological support system, in Committee’s view, needs to be restructured for making the study of basic sciences more attractive. The Committee is of the view that all research institutes may also be persuaded to have under-graduate teaching programmes. Another feasible approach could be to have a co-coordinating mechanism whereunder research institutes participate in teaching as well as take up collaborative research projects with university faculty and students. Secondly, regular exchange of faculty can be managed between the research institutes and universities.

4.6.5 The Committee is of the view that there is urgent need for building more centres of excellence in science like Indian Institute of Sciences. The Committee is happy to learn that two such institutions have already been proposed to be established at Kolkata & Pune. More such institutions should be provided in other regions of the country. The Government will have to provide necessary resources and funds for research and development for inventing required technologies for agriculture, food processing, energy, bio-technology, pharmaceutical and health. These must be treated as priority areas for such funding.

4.7 Social Sciences & Humanities

4.7.1 Education can be considered to be an effective medium of social development and not a commodity that can be traded in market. The National Policy on Education (1986) envisaged the social role of education as follows:-

“Education has an acculturating role. It refines sensitivities and perceptions that contribute to national cohesion, a scientific temper and independence of mind and spirit – thus, furthering the goals of socialism, secularism and democracy enshrined in the Constitution.”

4.7.2 The processes of privatization and liberalization have generated new demands, particularly in higher education. It has led to considerable neglect of social sciences. These disciplines are such branches of knowledge which do not have any immediate market value. Private participation has been mainly confined to professional courses. Government funding, therefore, remains the only source available for social sciences. What is more disturbing is that Government funding is increasingly being diverted for professional institutions, thus leaving the social sciences in the state of utter neglect. The Committee is of the view that utility of social sciences to our society, polity, economy, etc. cannot be overlooked. They add value to one’s life and any study that is value-free, in fact, tends to become sterile. The Committee, therefore, is of the considered opinion that this imbalance needs to be corrected immediately by making the study of social sciences scientific, interesting and relevant to present situation. The government and the UGC may set up an Expert Committee for presenting a blueprint for this purpose.

V. QUALITY AND EXCELLENCE

5.1 The Committee notes that while setting up the universities, not much attention could be paid to the standards and quality of teaching/learning processes. Besides, erosion in values, decline in the work ethics and dilution of norms have also been noticed in the Indian university system. Structure of governance in our educational institutions including universities is not conducive to change of any kind, including that of curriculum. Anything that does not change with time, becomes redundant soon in the fast moving world.

5.2 India, in fact, does not figure at all in the world ranking of top 100 universities. Even among Asia-Pacific countries, India ranks 6^th in the list, with South Korea and Israel ahead of it. The only institutions appearing in top 500 institutions from India are: Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore, IIT Khargpur and University of Calcutta. Even the “five star” level by the National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) or considered as ‘potential centres of excellence’ by the UGC does not find a place in top 500 universities except the University of Calcutta.

5.3 Such a situation, the Committee feels, does not augur well for the future of higher education in the country. The Committee, therefore, feels that the issue of quality and excellence of higher education should have been given more importance in India. Academic ambience in our universities, etc. needs to be improved a great deal. India has to create its new identity as knowledge-creator so as to face the challenges posed by the GATS as also to promote Indian higher education abroad. Quality and excellence are the watch-words in today’s liberalized environment. Making higher education globally competitive, therefore, cannot be postponed any further.

5.4 The Committee at the same time cannot overlook the fact that India despite severe limitations has created a large scientific/technical manpower, who have earned a pride of place in the world community. India has not only to sustain its position but also to be a front-runner in the global competition. This can be done, according to the Committee, only when the standard and quality of our educational institutions and its graduates are greatly improved. They will have to be instilled with a high level of creativity, innovation, dedication, patriotism, etc.

5.5 Quality in education does not necessarily connote its demand in the job market only. It also requires students to acquire basic values and norms of life. Our education system unfortunately, appears to be neglecting this aspect greatly. As a result, deviant behaviour, particularly amongst our youth is increasing at alarming proportion that needs to be arrested. The role of our education system for this purpose must be restored, before it is too late.

5.6 Question of quality is also linked directly with the quality of teachers, curriculum design & development; evaluation of teachers’ and students’ performance; teacher’s training; and other infrastructure such as good labs, libraries, sports facilities, etc. Greater and regular sharing of experiences through networking and otherwise between different institutions at the national and global plane is highly recommended. Multi-disciplinary curriculum with stress on developing problem-solving abilities, augmenting knowledge skills and group activities are essential to provide relevance and usefulness to real life situations. Quality of higher education can be greatly enhanced through the use of audio-visual techniques and the modern information & communication technologies.

5.7 Providing adequate exposure to teachers and students by holding more and more conferences and seminars, orientation and refresher courses for teachers; making selection process of Lecturers/Readers/Professors more transparent and shifting from incremental budgeting to performance budgeting are some of the areas, the Committee feels, if implemented, can go a long way in improving the quality and standard of higher education.

5.8 The Committee feels that there is a need for instilling a sense of accountability in teaching community. The Committee found that the quality of many teachers, if not all, does not inspire confidence as scholars or researchers or as educationists. The Committee recommends to carry out some kind of performance-audit of the teachers and in this process, the students’ participation must also be ensured. The Committee strongly feels that the conditions of service, remuneration and career advancement of the teachers be linked with their overall performance.

5.9 The Committee is of the opinion that examination reforms be carried out so that “learning by rote” is replaced by “learning for joy”. The Committee strongly feels that semester system should be introduced instead of the one-time final examination. The advantage of the semester system is that assessment of student performance becomes a continuous and integral part of the teaching-learning process. Also, a mechanism for joint conferring of degree by the university as well as colleges concerned will make colleges more responsible as their name will also appear on the degree.

5.10. Assessment & Accreditation

5.10.1 The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) was established by the UGC in 1994 to assess the quality and accredit universities and colleges depending upon certain specified parameters/indicators. The Committee was, however, informed that even after almost two decades, the process of assessment and accreditation has not had the desired impact. Hardly 10 to 15% of the total higher & technical education institutions have gone through this process mainly due to inadequate infrastructure and other weaknesses in the NAAC.

5.10.2 A major weakness in the existing institutional assessment, the Committee notes, is that while it assesses the performance of the university or colleges as a whole; it does not do it Department-wise. What is known to the people is the grades and stars, which signify only averages. Academic performance of a university, in fact, is mostly department-specific. As a result, weaker ones are not exposed. Therefore, the idea of grouping them together for assessment, the Committee feels, needs to be reconsidered. The Committee recommends that the NAAC should start accrediting individual departments also of a university in addition to its overall grading, at the earliest.

5.10.3 The Committee was informed that accreditation being voluntary, many institutions that have secured accreditation may not turn up for re-accreditation after five years and may still continue to use the grade obtained earlier. Others do not turn up for accreditation at all. The Committee is aware that it would be difficult to enforce, if accreditation is made mandatory. The Committee proposes, as incentive for this purpose, that the accreditation must be linked with the grants or special assistance/recognition by the UGC and other bodies so that institutions turn up for accreditation. In USA, the Committee learnt, federal grants are available only to the accredited institutions.

5.10.4