States should increase allocation for higher education: Thorat

Updated on: Monday, August 02, 2010

The Central govt has increased considerably the outlay for higher education in the 11th plan and state govts should also raise allocation for this purpose, UGC Chairman, Prof Sukhdev Thorat said on Sunday.

“The Central government has increased the outlay for higher education from Rs 4,700 crores to Rs 47,000 crores in the eleventh plan. “The state governments should also raise allocation for higher education. This is their obligation. They are not very particular about it, including the state government of Rajasthan,†said Thorat.

The UGC chairman was delivering the Sukhadia Memorial Lecture at the M L Sukhadia University auditorium.

He said UGC has ample funds but the Universities must come forward with proposals and the state governments must provide matching grants to take the benefit of UGC schemes.

Talking of the growing demand for higher education he said, “In 1950 we had 20 universities, 700 colleges and about 20,000 students taught by some 2,000 teachersâ€.

In 2010, the number of Universities has risen to 500, colleges 24,000, students 16 million and about 500,000 teachers.

“This is an impressive growth. But the percentage of youth in the age group of 18-24 yrs, of which, those who are able to get access to higher education is only 10 per cent. In developed countries it is 25-35 percent. To increase this is a big challenge.â€

According to Thorat, another challenge was to bridge the regional and inter-social group disparity in access to higher education.

“The SC,ST, rural women and the Dalits are still far away from higher education. Their access to higher education being about 3 per cent. In 11th plan, 1,460 new institutions will be started. Of these 7 IIMs, 7 IITs, 374 model colleges and 30 central Universities are already in progress of being set up.â€

Thorat was of the opinion that stopping recruitment of University and college teachers was a mistake and the state governments must make a contingency plan to handle this in the future

 

More Education news

• Sudhir Sopory is JNU's new Vice-Chancellor
• UP Public Service Commission to appoint over 350 doctors
• More people likely to switch jobs in 2011; women to lead way
• Dr. Kalam inaugurates LEAP education project
• Seats in technical education to be increased
• 'India net job creator for US companies not other way around'
• Unemployment benefit applications drop sharply
• International conference on managament education at IIM-A
• 1340 get spot appointment at job fair
• North Bengal Varsity first semester exam rescheduled
• PM to inaugurate Indian Science Congress at SRM varsity
• Sibal announces revised norms for AICTE approval
• Chemical Research Society plans wide range of activities
• Enrolment to management programmees through CET
• Sibal announces additional 200,000 engineering seats
• Corporates allowed to start technical institutions
• Students break fast after interaction with Mamata
• Academicians issue statement against campus violence in West Bengal
• Bad blood as IIT centre splits
• Five Kerala schools get smart schools status