The Union Education Minister recently presided over a review meeting for the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a program aimed at providing strategic funding to higher education institutions across India. This centrally sponsored scheme operates in mission mode, with the goal of improving access to, equity within, and excellence in state-run universities and colleges.
Understanding the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan
Launched in October 2013, RUSA is designed primarily to improve the overall quality of state institutions through compliance with specified norms and standards. An element of this improvement strategy involves making accreditation a mandatory component of the quality assurance framework. The underlying aim is to promote autonomy in state-run universities and enhance governance in these institutions by introducing reforms in their academic, affiliation, and examination systems.
Additionally, RUSA is committed to ensuring an adequate supply of high-quality faculty in all higher education institutions and promoting capacity building at all levels of employment. A key aspect of this initiative is creating an encouraging atmosphere for research in the higher education sphere.
Funding and Objectives of the Scheme
Since the financial year of 2016-17, the Indian government has allocated an average of Rs. 1,500 crore annually for the implementation of RUSA. The objective of this substantial investment is not merely to improve educational standards, but also to correct regional imbalances in access to higher education. This is achieved by establishing new institutions in areas that have previously been under-served or not served at all.
An additional goal of RUSA is to increase equity in higher education by providing ample opportunities to disadvantaged individuals, thereby reducing social inequality.
Meeting Highlights: Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER)
During the meeting chaired by the Union Education Minister, an important point of discussion was the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER). The need to create plans for educating an additional 3.5 crore students was emphasized, with the objective of increasing the GER to 50% by 2035.
GER is a significant metric in Indian higher education, calculated as the ratio of the population in the 18-23 age group to the number of people enrolled in higher education. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), there has been a slight increase in GER from 25.8% in 2017-18 to 26.3% in 2018-19.
Enhancing Focus on Local Skills
Another key point raised during the meeting was the necessity of aligning education in Degree Colleges with the “One District One Product (ODOP)” plan. As part of this approach, emphasis will be placed on producing students with employable skills that fit local conditions, thus encouraging local employment. The target is to have a total of 7 crore students with such locally relevant skills graduating from colleges and universities.
The University Grants Commission’s Role
The University Grants Commission will be responsible for monitoring the progress of those institutions that have received funding through the RUSA scheme, thus ensuring accountability and the efficient use of resources for higher education improvement.
