Topic covered:
- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
EQUIP project
What to study?
For prelims and mains: key features, need for and significance of the project.
Context: The Higher Education Department of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has finalized and released a 5-year Vision Plan titled as Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP).
Key features:
EQUIP was crafted by ten committees led by experts within the government.
Aims: EQUIP is meant to bridge the gap between policy and implementation. The project is made to bring transformation in the higher education system in the upcoming 5 years.
Goals set for Higher Education Sector by Expert Group are:
- Doubling Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and resolving geographically and socially skewed access to higher education institutions in India.
- Promoting India as a global study destination.
- Upgrade Quality of Education to global standards.
- Positioning minimum 50 Indian institutions among Top-1000 Global Universities.
- Promote Research & Innovation ecosystems for positioning India in Top-3 countries globally in matters of knowledge creation.
- Introducing governance reforms in higher education for well-administered campuses.
- Accreditation of all institutions for assurance of quality.
- Doubling employability of students passing out of higher education.
- Harnessing education technology for expanding reach and improving pedagogy (method and practise of teaching).
- Achieving a quantum increase in investment in higher education.
Sources: the Hindu.