HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
Growth of the Higher Education System 7.1.1 At the beginning of the year 1994-95, the total student enrolment in Universities and Colleges was 50.07 lakhs accounting for more than 2.02 lakhs as in the previous year. The enrolment in the university departments was 8.29 lakhs and that in the affiliated colleges was 41.78 lakhs.
7.1.2 Enrolment in the Faculty of Arts constituted 40.4 % of the total enrolment. In the faculties of Science and Commerce the percentage was 19.6 and 21,9 respectively. Enrolment at the first degree levels was 44.11 lakhs (88.1 %) at the post-graduate level 4.76 lakhs (9.5%), at the research level 0.55 lakhs (1.1%), and at the diploma and certificate level 0.65 lakhs (1.3%). The total number of teachers increased to 2.86 lakhs during the year. Of these, 0.65 lakhs were in the university departments/ University colleges and the rest in the affiliated colleges. Of the 64847 teachers in the universities, 8300 were Professors, 16990 were Readers, 36963 were lecturers and 2594 were Tutors/ Demonstrators. In the affiliated colleges, the number of senior teachers was 30695, the number of Lecturers was 180418 and that of Tutors/Demonstrators was 9717.
7.1.3 Upto November, 1994 the total number of universities eligible to receive assistance from UGC in the country was 162 and the total number of Institutions deemed to be universities was 36.
Higher Education among Women 7.1.4 The enrolment of women students at the beginning of the year 1993-94 was 16.64 lakhs as against 15.90 lakhs in the previous year. At the post-graduate level, the enrolment of women was 35.1 % of the total enrolment. The enrolment of women students was the highest in Kerala (53.4%) followed by Punjab (48.6%), Delhi (46.7%), Haryana(42.6%), Meghalaya/Nagaland/Mizoram (39.5 %), Tamil Nadu, West Bengal/Tripura/Sikkim (38.9%). The enrolment of women was the lowest in Bihar (16.9%).
University Grants Commission (UGC) 7.1.5 Some of the major thrust areas pursued during the years were: Autonomous Colleges, Academic Staff Colleges for Orientation of Teachers, eligibility test for recruitment of lecturers, Inter University Centres and Consortiums, Distance Education, Fellowships/Scholarships, COSIST, Adult Education and National Literacy Mission, Spread of Mass Communication and Educational Technology Network, Vocationalisation of Education at the first degree level. Environment Education, Curriculum Development/Redesigning of Courses, Computer Education, Education for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and for the Minorities and Weaker Sections among the minority communities, Education for the Women and Handicapped, Population Education. A brief account of the efforts made by the Commission in respect of various schemes is given in the following paragraphs.
7.1.6 The setting up of a National Accreditation Board for Higher Education as an autonomous body was approved.
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Vocational Education at the first Degree Level 7.1.7 The vocational courses developed at the college level are under consideration of the Commission.
Environment Education 7.1.8 The Supreme Court inter alia directed the UGC to take appropriate steps to prescribe a course on environment and consider the feasibility of making environment a compulsory subject at every level of college education. In pursuance of this, the UGC invited proposals from the universities for introduction of courses in Environment Education and the following programmes were approved.
i) Proposals for organising workshop/seminar/refresher courses on environment awareness.
ii) Projects on "Fly-Ash Accumulation and Comparatives of finding avenues for its Mass Scale Utilisation"
iii) Introduction of special paper on environment education at PG level in different areas like History, Physiology, Chemistry, Rural Economics, Economics Studies and Planning, Mathematics., Botany, Zoology, Sociology and Geography, B.Ed, M.Ed.
iv) Introduction of M.Sc course in Environment Education. Programme to telecast nearly 100 episodes on environmental awareness through its `Countrywide classroom' programme and preparation of a booklet for colleges as foundation course at under-graduate level, and popular literature like handouts. pamphlets on environmental awareness.
Redesigning of Courses 7.1.9 Re-designing of courses at the first degree level is being taken up to make them more relevant to environment and employment oriented. Steps are also taken to modernise these courses and restructure them and also to develop alternative pedagogic models.
Autonomous Colleges 7.1.10 The Commission has been promoting and encouraging the concept of autonomy through its scheme of autonomous colleges which it has decided to continue in the VIII Plan period. At present the total number of colleges which have been granted autonomous status is 108.
Plan Grants to Universities 7.1.11 At the beginning of the year 1994-95 the Commission provided plan grants to 100 eligible universities (excluding Agricultural universities) amounting to Rs.6684 lakhs, as part of the total commitment for the VIII Plan period. While the quantum of outlay for general development for each university is decided at the beginning of the plan period and is determined on the basis of the state of development of that particular
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university, grants for schemes are provided on the basis of recommendations of experts after scrutiny of such schemes. Also at the beginning of the year 1994-95 plan grants amounting to Rs.3006 lakhs were released to Central Universities.
Development of Colleges 7.1.12 VIIIth Plan grants to colleges are being given on the recommendations of expert committee and in consultation with college principals and state representatives. An outlay of Rs.26528 lakhs has been approved for about 3900 colleges so far for the VIIIth Plan.
Improvement in Efficiency 7.1.13 The Commission has sanctioned computer facilities to universities and colleges and for starting an additional paper at PG level in some subjects.
Special Assistance Programmes 7.1.14 The Commission continues to provide assistance to 41 centres of Advanced Study and Special Assistance to 115 Departments of Science, Engineering and Technology and 16 Centres of Advanced Study and 118 Departments of Humanities and Social Sciences upto November, 1994. In addition 84 Departmental Research Support Projects in Science and 47 in Humanities and Social Sciences were under implementation upto November, 1994. The Commission also dropped two departments for their failure to implement the schemes sanctioned and derecognised one department as its performance was not found to be of the requisite standard.
Strengthening of Infrastructure in Science and Technology (COSIST),
Programme 7.1.15 Departments supported under COSIST have been given functional autonomy. The infrastructural facilities extended through COSIST support have improved teaching instructions at post-graduate and research level and have enhanced the quality of teaching, particularly experimental part of the courses. As a result of the review of the Special Assistance Programme (SAP) and COSIST, it has been decided inter alia that SAP and COSIST will be an integrated programme and COSIST level support may be provided only to those departments which have completed atleast one phase (five years) of SAP and have been reviewed.
Super Conductivity Programme 7.1.16 The UGC programme on superconductivity has been in operation since 1987 for assisting universities in developing education and research capabilities in both basic and applied areas of superconductivity.
7.1.17 The Commission was supporting 38 universities upto November, 1994 in both basic and applied areas.
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Common Facilities and Services 7.1.18 Modern computer-based information/documentation centres have already been set up at Bangalore, Bombay and Baroda. These Centres have improved the information accessibility to teachers and students. During the year, Eastern Centre for Research in Astro-physics set up with a view to establish a world-class Astrophysics groups in the eastern part of India. The centre would build up experimental facilities particularly in the field of solar radio astronomy in the initial stage with future projections to cover galactic and extra galactic radioastronomy as well. Also during the year the MST radar at Srivenkateshwara University was made fully operational in MST mode for a detailed study of the middle atmosphere dynamics. The Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla has also been functioning as an Inter-University Centre for humanities and social sciences on behalf of the UGC. These Centres are in addition to the Nuclear Science Centres, New Delhi, Inter University Centre in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Poona, Inter University Consortium, Indore, Crystal Growth Centres, Anna University and Inter-University Consortium for Education Communication.
Media and Educational Technology 7.1.19 The UGC has taken the initiative to utilise the time slot given for higher education by televising the TV programme in higher education and entitled "Countrywide Classroom" which has taken higher education to remote areas of the country. The Commission is at present supporting Educational Media Research Centres (EMRCs) at various Universities and Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (Hyderabad). Audio-Visual Research Centres (AVRCs) at various universities, are being supported for training of personnel and production of software. More media centres in different states are envisaged to be set up during the Eighth Plan period. In order to make distance learning more effective and bring best teachers in the country within the reach of all sections of students including semi- urban and rural students, the Commission undertook a project to produce non-broadcasting video lectures for under-graduate students. During the year, negotiations were finalised for telecasting the serial Race to Save the Planet. Negotiations were also under way to sell similar programmes to the Commonwealth of Learning. The Consortium for Educational Communications (CEC), an autonomous Organisation under UGC provides programmes for transmission through the enrichment channel of Doordarshan. The Commission has also established Consortium for Export of Educational material as a project mode of CEC.
Adult, Continuing and Extension Education Programmes 7.1.20 The Commission is providing assistance to universities for the implementation of Total Literacy (TLC) through their departments of Adult, Continuing and Extension Education. Such assistance is also provided for population education and planning forums.
7.1.21 An action plan was also drawn up for prevention and control of AIDS with the help of the university and college community through the introduction of self-study courses, dissemination of information with the help of PERCs and medical experts, provision of community services through NSS and NCC, publicity through countrywide classroom programmes, preparation of course material, and by providing additional grants to universities and colleges for purchase of books on AIDS, population education, environmental and drug abuse.
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Distance Education/Correspondence Courses 7.1.22 Assistance is provided to universities to the tune of Rs. 10 lakhs as seed money for the first five years for introducing distance education programmes/correspondence courses. Further assistance to the tune of Rs.5 to Rs.7.50 lakhs is provided after five years for running undergraduate and post-graduate courses respectively. Guidelines were circulated advising universities to upgrade their existing Correspondence Course Institutes (CCIs) into Distance Education Mode. A Distance Education Council, set up by IGNOU on the recommendations of the UGC, is responsible for determining and maintaining standards in the field of distance education.
Scholars and Fellowships 7.1.23 For the development of research in universities and colleges, the Commission provides assistance for award of junior research fellowships in various subjects. These fellowships are awarded only to those research scholars who have qualified in national level tests conducted by the UGC, CSIR, GATE etc. Tests conducted at All-India level in some selected subjects by JNU and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore have been accredited as equivalent to national tests for this purpose.
7.1.24 Teachers of outstanding eminence are awarded national fellowships for a specified period to devote themselves exclusively to research and writing. Similarly, under the scheme of Research Scientists, 200 positions have been created in the grades of Lecturers, Readers and Professors in order to provide opportunities to those who wish to pursue research as a career. Selections tinder this scheme are made directly by the Commission. The scheme has been continued and is being implemented in a modified form.
7.1.25 Under the scheme of Visiting Professors/Fellows, assistance is provided to universities for the appointment of Visiting Professors/Fellows. During the year, the Commission continued the scheme of "Visiting Faculty" in the universities so as to provide teaching/research assignments outside Kashmir to the teachers from Kashmir University and its affiliated colleges due to disturbed conditions there.
Coaching Classes for Competitive Examinations for Weaker Sections amongst Minority Communities
7.1.26 The Commission continued to provide assistance to identified centres for organising coaching classes for competitive examinations for weaker sections among the minority communities.
Facilities for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes 7.1.27 In addition to the Junior Research Fellowships reserved for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes out of the total number of such fellowships instituted in various universities, the Commission is directly awarding every year 50 fellowships for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Similarly, the Commission has reserved 40 Research Associateships for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In order to provide opportunities to teachers in affiliated colleges belonging to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes for improving their qualifications by doing M.Phil/Ph.D., the Commission has instituted 50 teacher fellowships every year.
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Women's Studies 7.1.28 The Commission has been providing financial assistance to universities for undertaking well-defined projects for research in women's studies and also for the development of curriculum at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels and relevant extension activities.
7.1.29 The Commission has also created 40 positions of part-time research associateships for women candidates in Science and Humanities including Social Sciences and Engineering and Technology.
Project on Information and Library Network 7.1.30 Project on Information and Library Network is a computer communication network linking libraries and information centres in universities and other institutions of national importance.
Teacher-Recruitment, Training and Performance Evaluation 7.1.31 During the year, the Commission conducted qualifying test for determining the eligibility for lectureship and for award of Junior Research Fellowships in Humanities and Social Sciences. Similar test in science subjects was conducted jointly by UGC and CSIR. Under the Academic Staff Orientation Scheme for orientation of newly recruited and in-service college and university lecturers., the Academic Staff colleges identified by the Commission have so far organised over 900 orientation programmes covering 30684 teachers. Similarly 1897 refresher courses so far been organised for in-service teachers covering 46274 teachers.
Aligarh Muslim University 7.2.1 The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) was established in 1921 as residential University. It has about 17,200 students. It has 10 Faculties with 76 Departments, four Colleges including Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Zakir Hussain College of Engineering. The University has a faculty strength of about 1200, 17,200 students and 5200 of non-teaching staff.
7.2.2 3 year diploma course in Computer Engineering for Womens' Polytechnic and Post-graduate Courses in Agriculture, were started from the academic session 1993-94.
Banaras Hindu University 7.3.1 Banaras Hindu University (BHU) was established in 1916 as a teaching and residential University. It consists of 3 institutes, namely, Institute of Medical Sciences, Institute of Technology and Institute of Agricultural Sciences. There are in all 14 Faculties and 114 academic departments. The University also maintains a Constituent Mahila Mahavidyalaya and 3 school level institutions. 4 college in the city are admitted to its privileges. Besides, it has a 1000 beds modern/Ayurvedic Medicine Hospital. The University has approximately 14,500 students on its rolls. The strength of its teaching and non- teaching staff is 1265 and 6758 respectively.
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