 FURTHER PROPOSED ACTION

The four seminars have amply demonstrated that in respect of implementing policies and programmes of NPE as envisaged in the POA, various Agencies like MHRD, NIEPA, UGC, AIU, State governments, universities, colleges and institutions, have initiated certain activities and made efforts to reach physical and financial targets. In the realm of higher and technical education, MHRD has successfully implemented the policy and programme of distance education by establishing The Indira Gandhi National Open University; initiated action to modernize and remove obsolescence in technical education; brought forward a bill to vest the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) with statutory powers to reorient technical education at all levels in the country, and initiated action to create infrastructure in areas of emerging technologies and set up the Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology. Establishment of a National Testing Service, setting up a central council of rural institutes, setting up an apex body to coordinate higher education and promotion of technical education for women, are in different stages of implementation.

However, it must be reiterated here that in many areas not only physical targets have not been attained but an awareness hag been created that these physical targets set up earlier are too ambitious and require pruning. Among many examples that can be cited are:

1. It was targetted that before the end of 7th plan (March 1990), five hundred colleges all over India will become. autonomous. Only 80 odd colleges have become autonomous till September'88 and it would be almost autonomous in the next 15 months.

2. In the matter of vocationalisation of education it has been' targetted that by 1990, 10% of students at the higher secondary stage will be in the vocational stream. Not, much has been achieved in the matter of teacher preparation, academic resource support and changes in management structure.

3. Education for women's equality has not yet taken off.

4. In the matter of setting up State Councils for Higher Education, the NPE envisaged setting up of these councils in several states. Apart from two or three states where it has been initiated, the councils have yet to be established widely.

It is therefore imperative that in several areas of NPE and POA-realistic revision of physical, administrative and financial targets is to be made. The CABE, the consultative

committees and the various bodies like the UGC, AIU, NIEPA, AICTE, all will have to come together to revise these targets and draw up realistic programmes of action, The four seminars have adequately brought this into focus while dealing with status of implementation viz-a-viz the targets.

In the four seminars, a systematic collection of status information, through specially designed formats and proformas, was attempted but without much documentation. Nevertheless, the participants brought to the seminars individual experiences of universities, and after detailed deliberations and discussions made out certain recommendations for further action keeping in view the status of implementation by and large.

The seminars reiterated that it would be equally important to identify what programmes and activities can be undertaken with almost no financial inputs or in some cases very marginal financial inputs vis-a-vis those programmes and activities that could be undertaken with substantial financial inputs and by creating further infrastructure and environment.

Programmes and activities which can be undertaken with little or no financial assistance

The UGC and the universities must make efforts to restructure courses to include emphasis on education of women's equality and design curriculum for both boys and girls as has been done by the NCERT at the school level. Foundation courses for development oriented education for women should be designed at the university level and implemented by the university.

The university or college must take steps to get voluntary agencies to join hands with it in working for women's equality.

Programmes with financial assistance The UGC must take steps to establish a women's cell in every university/college in areas involving adult literacy, health care and women's development. The UGC, the university and the college, joining hands with voluntary agencies must implement certain targeted adult literacy programmes, a minimum health care programme and arrange for awareness of women's equality, etc. through education and training programmes. They must also work out incentives and adequate measures for encouraging women's education (Gujarat has made women's education free at all levels).

UGC/university/college/institution must encourage activities that relate skill development amongst women with work opportunities, better and effective dissemination of existing opportunities by way of scholarships, admissions, recruitment, etc. Also possibilities of opening new

polytechnics and other related institutions exclusively for women may be explored for implementation during the 8th Plan Period.

However, the seminars have brought out clearly in respect of recommendations made in many areas under scrutiny that various agencies amongst themselves have to take responsibility for implementation and monitoring.

What follows in this section on Further Proposed Action is a collection of such recommendations and the action agencies to take care of further implementation. The Seminars reiterated that even though the primary responsibility for overseeing implementation and monitoring progress of implementation lies with the UGC in respect of higher and technical education, the significant role of every university, college or institution to launch action in various areas of National Policy and together monitor its progress cannot be overemphasized. Every university, college, institution in accordance with recommendations made at the seminar, must draw up a realistic plan of action and in respect of all universities in a state, the state government must take the responsibility to put them together and enable implementation.

Monitoring the progress of implementation is a professional activity primarily to be undertaken by every implementing agency with the help of tools for monitoring to be developed. The seminars did not and could not develop such tools of monitoring but felt that the development of tools for monitoring can be entrusted by the MHRD to an agency like AIU.

I. Consolidation and Expansion of Institutions

1. The UGC should issue guidelines and norms to the universities to enable them to formulate their requirements in respect of courses, intake and equipments, etc.

(State Govts, UGC, Universities, Colleges)

2. The UGC should appoint a task force to establish institutions within the university system, which will develop and maintain close ties with National laboratories.

(UGC, Universities, National labs)

3. No government grants should be available to newly established institutions unless their plans have been approved by the UGC and state governments.

(State Govts, U.G.C., Universities)

4. Guidelines relating to a pattern of a common entrance examination may be developed.

(UGC, AICTE, Universities)

II Academic Staff Colleges

1. The ASC scheme should be modified in order to enable it to contribute to the change of environment in the colleges/universities. The current orientation course should be followed by refresher courses for senior faculty.

2. The UGC should provide financial support to ASC's

3. A comprehensive list of resource persons in different subjects and specialisations should be prepared.

4. A central advisory committee be framed for monitoring and coordinating the activities of all ASC's.

(State Govts, UGC, Universities, ASC's.)

III Distance Teaching/Learning

1. Correspondence courses should be helped with training for preparation of resource materials, well equipped study centres, and overall improvement of study materials.

2. The state open universities should use the courses and materials developed by the IGNOU.

3. Norms and standards should be laid down for Distance Education.

(UGC/IGNOU, State Universities/Institutes of Correspondence Courses).

IV Youth Services,- Sports and Physical Fitness Programmes

1. The Universities should pay more attention to programmes relating to youth.

2. The AIU should continue and expand its programmes of inter-varsity tournaments, athletic and sports meets and presenting consciousness of sports in colleges and universities.

(AIU, Universities, Colleges)

V Improvement in Efficiency.

1. Educational institutions should have adequate infrastructural facilities like class rooms, library, laboratories, hostels, sports complexes, health centres etc. Libraries should have sufficient number of text books, reference books, reprographic and bibliographic services. Laboratories should have adequate modern equipments and consumables.

2. Each university should be equipped with a suitable computer for research and administrative purposes. Selected institutions from all parts of the country should be linked with a network (with terminals for each) for academic and research purpoes. This network should supply information about availability of text books, reference books and laboratory equipments,etc.

3. Teachers with consistently good academic record preferably with M.Phil/Ph.D. qualifications, should be recruited. Their salary scales should be attractive. They should be encouraged to involve themselves in quality research. They should be compulsorily provided with initial and inservice training through Academic Staff Colleges. Individuals and institutions with outstanding performance should be recognised and rewarded. Autonomous institutions should be set up on the basis of proper and judicious selection.

(MHRD/State Govts/UGC/AIU/Universities educational institutions)

VI Technical Education

Each state should have a technical university

The AICTE's norms about physical and academic facilities should be enforced. Uniform pattern of technical education and examination system should be followed.

Academic autonomy, to be followed by financial and administrative autonomy, should be granted to institutions which have attained a minimum standard of excellence.

VII Teachers

Initial and inservice training facilities should be mandatory. institutional and individual consultancy facilities should be liberalised. Interaction between institutions and industry should be promoted through exchange of personnel.

VIII Students

Stipendiery practical training for the students, for a period of at least ninety days in the pre-final/final year should be organised.

(MHRD,UGC,AICTE,AIU,State Govts., Universities, Technical Colleges)

IX Mobility of Teachers and Students

1. Indian Educational Service should be set up with a cadre of 4000 officers to be built up over a period of 10 years. The IES should have parity of status and grades with the I.A.S.

2. Universities may be linked with each other on regional basis in order to facilitate exchange of teachers. Facilities like residential accommodation, migration of their wards to academic institutions, etc. should be provided.

3. Each university must have a research cell headed by a social scientist of professor cadre for collecting, processing and analysing data regarding education, teachers, students and manpower requirements in the region and the state.

(MHRD,AIU,UGC,AICTE,State Governments, Universities)

Student Mobility

The state governments/universities should select 5 to 10 percent students from each batch and send them to other universities/institutions for pursuing specific courses through sufficient financial grants and hostel facilities. Students may also be allowed to go to other universities/institutions for completing specialised courses with adequate financial support. Liberal equivalence of courses/ units in universities should be established and strengthened. Youth festivals, inter-university sports and other youth programmes should be promoted.

(MHRD,AIU,UGC,AICTE,State Govts.,Universities)

XI. Making the system work

A. University functionaries

1. In order to make the system work efficiently, it is necessary that responsibilities of various functionaries of the university and norms of their performance should be fixed. These functionaries include the Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, Principals of colleges, Finance Officers, and Controller of Examinations etc. The seminar made suggestions about the specific responsibilities of the various functionaries. These responsibilities include the academic, administrative, legal and financial powers of the various funtionaries.

B. Teachers

1. It was emphasised that the teachers should participate in the curricular and co-curricular activities. They should devote themselves full time to their academic and non- academic duties and should not engage themselves in private tuitions and/or part time jobs.

C. Students

1. Students should involve themselves whole heartedly in the curricular and co-curricular activities. They should maintain discipline and help in maintaining an orderly academic environment.

D. Educational Institutions

1. Educational institutions should have adequate finances and, at least, minimum physical and academic facilities. They should provide security and promote healthy community life on their campuses.

E. Other Recommendations

1. The procedure of appointing Vice Chancellors should be strengthened with a view to ensuring the personal, moral and academic integrity of the incumbent. The judicial functions of the Chancellor should be entrusted to a Tribunal or a bench of the Central Educational Tribunal as recommended by the Law Commission.

2. A Council of Higher Education should be set up in each state to coordinate and monitor the implementation of New Education Policy and to look after the finance, evaluation, exchange programmes and identification of study areas for the universities in the State. The council will recommend the provision of adequate

finances by the UGC/Central/State Governments to the universities.

3. The seminar also made recommendations about penalities or sanctions to be imposed against the defaulting functionaries at various levels in the universities. It also made suggestions about enforcing the teaching schedule in educational institutions. Recommendations were also made about teacher evaluation, minimum student facilities, students' participation in making the system work, grievance redressal machinery for teachers and administrative staff, etc.

(MHRD,UGC,AICTE,AIU,State Govts, Universities, Institutions)

XII Language Development and Cultural Perspective

1. All universities and colleges should impart instruction in regional languages. Regional languages should also be encouraged in research at the doctoral level. For this purpose, adequate funds should be provided.

2. The three language formula should be implemented in all states. Teacher training programmes should be organised to orient teachers to teach in modern Indian languages.

3. All efforts should be made to improve the language competencies of students in terms of both expression and comprehension.