Need for 27,000 additional institutions to increase enrolment

The country will need 27,000 additional institutions of higher learning to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) from 12% now to 30% by 2020.

During the meeting of the Consultative Committee for the HRD ministry on the subject "Expansion of Higher Education", HRD minister Kapil Sibal today said the government would adopt multi-pronged strategy, including enhanced public spending and encouraging private investment to achieve the target of 30% GER.

There will be need for 14,000 general colleges, 12,775 professional institutes and 269 universities. The present enrolment rate in higher education in the relevant age group is 12 %.

Sibal said the Centre would incentivise state governments to enhance investment and encourage investment through philanthropy. He also briefed on the proposed legislations for the Higher Education sector.

The government wants to bring separate legislations for setting up of an overarching body in higher education, having an apex accreditation agency, a system to check malpractices and opening up educational tribunals to settle disputes. The parliamentarians viewed that indigenous knowledge should be made part of university curriculum.