New Delhi: Government is focused on improving quality of education and research in Higher Education Institutions. Joint Research Programmes are being taken with countries like USA, UK, Israel, Norway and New Zealand, Special Scheme for Faculty Development to provide an opportunity to teachers to pursue academic/research activities, establishment of Inter University Centers (IUCs) that provide state-of-the art equipments and facilities. Government of India has introduced various schemes like:
- Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY): The objectives of UAY scheme are to promote innovation in IITs addressing issues of manufacturing industries; to spur innovative mindset; to co-ordinate action between academia & industry and to strengthen labs & research facilities.
- Impacting Research, Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT): The objectives of this initiative is to identify areas of immediate relevance to society requiring innovation, direct scientific research into identified areas, ensure higher funding support for research into these areas and measure outcomes of the research effort with reference to impact on the standard of living in the rural/urban areas. Under the scheme the proposals are to be funded 50% by MHRD and 50% by other Ministries/ Departments/ Industries/ alumni/ other non-MHRD sources.
- Setting up of Research Parks in IITs: Five new Research Parks at IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad, and IISc Bangalore at a total cost of Rs.75.00 crore each have been approved by the Government. Approval has also been accorded for continuation of two already approved Research Parks at IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur at a cost of Rs.100 crore each. The Research Park at IIT Gandhinagar at a total cost of Rs.90 crore is being funded by the Department of Science & Technology
- Quality Improvement Programme (QIP): To upgrade the expertise and capabilities of the faculty members of the degree and diploma level institutions in the country.
- Margdarshan: Institutions of repute as a mentor within an existing facility to serve as the hub to guide and disperse knowledge to and between technical institutions to encourage best practices.
- A Notification was also issued on 29.08.2017 and guidelines were published on 07.09.2017 for providing regulatory structure for enabling higher educational institutions to become world class teaching and research institutions.
The selected public universities/institutions will be eligible to receive Rs. 1000 crores (Thousand crore) over a span of 5 years to develop into a world class university.
SWAYAM, an indigenous On-line Education platform has been launched on 9th July 2017. Through this platform courses in teachers training and other subjects both at the graduate and post-graduate level are offered. The platform is successfully achieving the objective. As on date, there are 837 courses and 16,83,828 people are registered in the SWAYAM platform. Access to SWAYAM is also being widened by linkage with DTH channel, SWAYAMPRABHA, dedicated to education.
This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Dr. Satyapal Singh today in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.
