Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP)
for finalizing a five-year vision plan the Department of Higher Education of HRD Ministry has finalized and released a five-year vision plan named Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP).
It is to be implemented between 2019-2024.
The 10 Expert Groups drawn from senior academicians, administrators and industrialists, have suggested more than 50 initiatives that would transform the higher education sector completely. The Groups have set the following ten goals for higher education sector:
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Strategies for expanding access: Double the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education and resolve the geographically and socially skewed access to higher education institutions in India.
Towards global best teaching/learning process: Upgrade the quality of education to global standards.
Promoting Excellence: Position at least 50 Indian institutions among the top-1000 global universities.
Governance reforms: Introduce governance reforms in higher education for well-administered campuses
Assessment, Accreditation & Ranking systems: Accreditation of all institutions as an assurance of quality.
Promotion of research & innovation: Promote Research & Innovation ecosystems for positioning India in the Top-3 countries in the world in matters of knowledge creation.
Employability & entrepreneurship: Double the employability of the students passing out of higher education.
Using Technology for better reach: Harness education technology for expanding the reach and improving pedagogy.
Internationalization: Promote India as a global study destination.
Financing higher education: Achieve a quantum increase in investment in higher education.
Financing: The project will need to rely on extra-budgetary resources from the marketplace apart from Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).
Strategies for Expanding Access
Major Challenges Identified
Disparities in access to higher education and lack of adequate academic support to vulnerable student communities
The inability of students to achieve desired learning outcomes and incapacity of teachers to deliver on credible teaching outcomes:
Lack of global standards of excellence in Indian higher education Institutions:
Inadequate compliance by higher education institutions and stakeholders in implementing reforms and regulations to ensure efficiency and transparency:
Lack of adequate capacity of existing accreditation bodies to ensure participation of all higher education institutions in the accreditation process:
Absence of overarching funding body to promote research and innovation:
Absence of convergence between higher education and the skill ecosystem:
Lack of quality and practical learning through MOOCs
Limited initiatives were undertaken to attract students from abroad and internationally promote the excellence displayed by Indian HEIs:
Inadequate investments in higher education as a proportion to the GDP:
Enhance access to vulnerable communities (SC/ST) : 8000 samras hostels (in BuildOwn-Operate model) would be set up to accommodate 16 lakh students from vulnerable socio-economic backgrounds with no access to higher education institutions in their vicinity to continue education. Scholarships for 16 lakh students to meet hostel expense will act as a support mechanism for students. + 50% fee waivers for ST/SC students pursuing education through ODL and disbursal of balance in the event of successful completion of the respective academic year. + Model degree colleges and new colleges set up in backward areas to have the provision of a bridge course (on the same pattern as finishing school) in the first year of the degree to impart mathematical and soft skills to them to enhance employability.
Expand access to cater to geographically underserved areas Upgrade 500- degree colleges in backward blocks to vocational degree college (VCD) by integrating a vocational stream to start B.Voc programs + Develop quality blended MOOCs to overcome the challenge of faculty deficit in institutions and to facilitate blended learning in vocational courses (with 3000 additional blended MOOCs).
Improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) through Open and Distance Learning (ODL): Additional 5000 Learner Support Centres to be established to cater to 60 Lakh additional students. + ICT infrastructure, especially EMPC of IGNOU to be upgraded and also in the 56 regional centres and other SOUs + IGNOU in collaboration with the State Open Universities and its regional centres located in the concerned states can facilitate the conversion of study materials into regional languages.
Enhance overall access to higher education: Offer incentives to students for pursuing higher education: + Offer courses in a dual mode in universities
Towards Global Best Teaching/Learning Processes
Formulate National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF) and revise Learning Outcome-based Curriculum Framework (LOCF) in 100 courses
Introduce flexible Bachelor’s Degree programs with multiple exit and re-entry, Bachelors Liberal Arts education and Multi & Cross-disciplinary departments in HEIs to cover 200 Universities and 10,500 colleges. Introduce Student Induction Program and Bridge Courses in all Under Graduate Programs of 2/4 credits (in 1200 institutions)
Create institutional mechanisms for periodic review/revision of curricula by formulating guidelines for implementation of the revised curriculum, integral to accreditation and ranking, to cover 200 Universities and 1000 colleges during 2019-2024. Prepare guidelines for a mandatory four months internship and community engagement and roll it out in all UG programs
Capacity Building and continuous professional development of faculty
One-time catch up grant to every institution for a period of 5 years for filling up vacancies of full-time faculty and inducting adjunct and visiting faculty
Organise Faculty Induction Programs for newly recruited Assistant Professors (in the last 5-6 years) in 400 identified institutions under UGC & MHRD.
Organise refresher training programs for continuous professional development of faculty and leadership development programs on the lines of Leadership for Academicians Program (LEAP). Develop professional standards for faculty in HEIs covering 100 disciplines @ Rs.10 lakh per discipline and revise existing career path with tenure track leading up to leadership roles. Creating a Pool of 1000 Pedagogic Experts with three weeks of foreign training @ 20 lakh per faculty.
Establish 100 new Centres of Excellence/Teaching-Learning Centres under National Mission on Teachers & Teaching and a National Academy.
Undertaking periodical student satisfaction survey by NAAC Accredited 2.0 and above Institutions
Introduce a National Tutor's Program
Upgrade academic infrastructure and cultivate technology-enabled learning ecosystems
Obtain and collate information from State Governments regarding several bottoms of the pyramid Universities (150) & unaccredited colleges (5000) in each State/UT to assess the adequacy of infrastructure and academic facilities available in HEIs.
Fund 100 universities in States with Low GER (less than the national average) with a one-time grant of Rs. 50 Crores per University and Rs 10 Crore per college.
Identify Mentor institutions and implement mentoring activities
Periodic Monitoring and Evaluation:
Set up a task force to monitor implementation of initiatives over the period of five years, conduct yearly Joint Review Missions, organise yearly review meetings involving all statelevel stakeholders, develop a portal for dynamic review, etc.
Towards Excellence
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Institutions/Universities with top 1000 Global Rankings: (50) HEIs will be assisted to reach top 1000 of world rankings
Set global standards to ensure quality: This applies to infrastructure, academics, research, amenities, industry connect, and innovation & entrepreneurship.
Ensure International Quality Outcomes: This is to be accomplished by initiating global Collaborations, Programs and Projects, making an Off-shore Footprint, fostering Innovation and Industry
Amend regulations for greater autonomy: Enable institutions through Modification of Rules and Regulations for more autonomy and flexibility
Build a Circular Ecosystem for Promotion of Excellence: This is to be achieved through new Instruments and incentives
Management through the definition of metrics, indices, payback along with national and global mentoring /facilitation schemes for achieving goals
Expand the catchment area of receiving funds: Enhance funding and incentives to enable achievement of targets and widen the catchment area of funding beyond the government sources.
Enhance the national reputation of institutions: This is to be achieved about stakeholders, by enhancing visibility with Students, and by enabling Global Collaborations
Delineate a Target Group: Special autonomy would be offered to a catchment of 40-50 institutions to drive institutional excellence of global standards.
Top 500 Global Ranking Institutions: HEIs which are in top 500 of any of the three world rankings (QS, THE, Shanghai) are proposed to be a part of this catchment14.
Institutions in NIRF, NAAC and University with Potential for Excellence: Institutions that figure in any two of the lists of top 40 of overall NIRF Rankings, has a NAAC accreditation score of 3.51 and above and appear in the UPE list of UGC shall be considered part of this catchment.
Governance Reforms
A model State Public University Act may be developed, which may not be made mandatory but serve as a model for the State Governments to emulate.
The number of affiliated colleges with the University shall be a maximum of 100, and the existing universities with a higher number of affiliated colleges shall be divided into several universities to ensure that the number of colleges with each university does not exceed 100.
The affiliation system may be revisited whereby it shall be ensured that within two years of granting affiliation by a University, the college + The affiliation by the University after seven years shall continue only if an accreditation agency notified by UGC accredits the college.
New universities are to be established only based on felt needs.
The College shall be encouraged to become autonomous colleges, and the UGC Act may be amended to give degreeawarding powers to good autonomous colleges.
Autonomous Colleges to mentor potential colleges to move towards autonomy. Mentoring by NAAC high rating universities and NAAC high rating colleges or universities and colleges which are not yet accredited by NAAC may be undertaken at the earliest to ensure quality.
Assessment, Accreditation and Ranking Systems
Widen the accreditation network and acknowledge the diversity of standards during the assessment. To ensure 80% of HEIs are brought into the net of quality assurance by 2024
Identify and certify institutions at Different Levels of Quality and bring them into the fold of the accreditation framework
Promotion of Research and Innovation
Set up a research funding body at the national level: The National Research Foundation NRF will be a Commission by an Act of Parliament and will aim at achieving excellence in knowledge creation, people, and R&I infrastructure.
NRF Operations will follow a Hub and Spoke model with the Central Office of NRF as the Hub and a network of Centre of Excellence (CoE), located in institutions of high repute, will be the Spokes
Using Technology For Better Reach
Improving the Quality of SWAYAM courses
Strengthening and Expansion of Local Chapters - of at least 10,000 Institutions in the next five years.
Digital Education Support Centres (DESCs) would be set up in 1000 Institutions in the underserved regions.
Capacity Building of Course Coordinators of SWAYAM courses - to improve the quality of courses being offered.
SWAYAM should graduate to a Virtual University - to provide quality education with flexibility and ensuring employability
Internationalization of Higher Education
Study in India Program: Granting autonomy to HEIs participating in the ‘Study in India (SII)’ program on matters relating to internationalization of higher education (October 2019 to March 2020)
Scholarships for international students (2020 - 21 to 2023 - 2024). Internationalisation of entrance examinations/tests for the selection/recruitment of international students (October 2019 to March 2020). Improving hostel facilities in HEIs participating in SII program (2020-21 to 2023-24)
Indian students who want to pursue a PhD at top 200 ranked** universities in the world, will be supported with scholarships (for up to 5 years), with the condition that the scholar will have to return to India after completion of their PhD for at least five years and then apply for the proposed ‘PM Young Academician’ scheme to be launched in 2020-2**1.
Promoting Program Mobility (2020-21 to 2023-24): To promote twinning and Joint Degrees / Joint PhDs, MHRD will incentivise selected Indian HEIs with funding.
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Promote Faculty Mobility
Establishing partnerships for global mobility of faculty at Indian HEIs (October 2019 to 2023-24)
Expanding academic collaboration with HEIs abroad (October 2019 to 2023- 24)
Distinguished Academician Return’ (2020-21 to 2023-24)
Distinguished Academician Return’ (2020-21 to 2023-24)
Young Academician Return’ (2020-21 to 2023-24):
Financing Higher Education
Tenure of HEFA loan to be raised to 15 years. Among the HEFA reforms, the cost of maintenance of assets created must also be considered while reviewing the total cost to Government.
Governance structure of the university system must be transformed drastically into a professional and functionally autonomous one, with an independent regulatory structure.
Opening up of sophisticated research equipment by HEIs to industry and other external users to both improve their utilization and also earn revenues through them.
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The project proposes an investment of Rs. 1,72,490 Cr as
additionality to the higher education budget. The additionality is intended to be channelled
from the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) through a Special Purpose Vehicle
(SPV) that would be formed. The amount would, in effect, be a grant to the institution using
an online fund transfer mechanism. The repayment to HEFA would be done by the SPV for
which Government would provide grants from its regular budgets.