In order to fund states and union territories (UTs) to attain higher levels of education, access, efficiency, transparency, and accountability, a centrally sponsored scheme, namely, Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) was launched in 2013. In 2018, the second phase of RUSA was launched. Now, it has been renamed as Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) to address the issues and gaps in the last two phases with a budget of around Rs 13,000 crore for the next three years.
According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) Report 2020–21, there are 1,113 universities; 43,796 colleges; and 11,296 stand-alone institutions in India. The report also estimated the higher education enrolment to be 4.13 crores with 2.12 crore males and 2.01 crore females and around 2.11 lakh students enrolled at the Ph.D. level. RUSA phases 1 and 2 have catered to around 2,500 institutions to improve access, quality, and equity under 16 components.
Why the Need for a New Scheme
Some of the reasons why the new scheme was launched are as follows:
- Limited or no access to higher education in economically backward and interior areas
- Rigid separation of courses and streams of students, limiting their scope of study and exposure
- Limited autonomy of institutions and teachers
- Low/inadequate focus on employment-oriented course structure
- Lack of emphasis and infrastructure in most universities to promote research and innovation
PM-USHA not only focuses on improving access and quality of education but also the employability after higher education through providing funds for the promotion of market-linked courses, industry connects, internships, etc. It aims to identify skill gaps, introduce skill-based education, and vocational courses, and promotion of distance learning. PM-USHA is based on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Objectives of the Scheme
Some of the objectives of this scheme are as follows:
- Implementing the recommendations of NEP 2020
- Improving the quality of educational institutions and ensuring adoption of prescribed standards and norms by the institutions
- Introducing a state-level planning and monitoring system and encouraging autonomy in state universities
- Introducing governance, academic, and examination reforms in higher educational institutions, establishing forward and backward linkages to create employment, and creating the environment to promote research-oriented education
- Reducing regional imbalances in the country and the state by increasing access to higher education institutions in urban as well as semi-urban areas; and providing facilities and infrastructure to support online or distance education for students who cannot physically access these institutions
- Identifying and filling the existing gaps in higher education, promoting equality, and increasing access to socially deprived communities (SCs/STs/OBCs), women, and specially-abled persons
- Providing better infrastructure and hostel facilities in remote areas
- Establishing New Model Degree Colleges in districts where there are no government or government-aided institutions
- Focusing on gross enrolment ratio (GER), left wing extremism (LFE), border area districts, and districts with higher SC/ST populations
- Focusing on multidisciplinary education
Scope of PM-USHA
PM-USHA aims to focus on the ‘focus districts’ that have no/low access to the government colleges. The proportion of disadvantaged sections like SC/ST/OBC/women shall be identified by states/UTs as focus districts which will be done on a priority basis. Districts that have low GER, enrolment proportion of population, females, transgenders, SCs, STs, and OBCs, and extremism-prone districts will be identified as focus districts.
The scope of PM-USHA also extends towards helping the institutions to be accredited and improved. States/UTs should sign an MoU with the Ministry of Education to implement NEP reforms, supporting institutions in applying for accreditation and adopting the prescribed guidelines.
State governments will shortlist the colleges and districts that require attention (focus districts) and support under ‘Grants to Strengthen Universities’ and ‘Grants to Strengthen Colleges’. The government will also list the colleges which require attention to be supported under the ‘Gender Inclusion and Equity Initiative’. States/UTs will submit the proposals regarding the focus areas and they will be evaluated and approved based on the selection criteria and the past performance of the areas by the Ministry of Higher Education.
Implications
The scheme, if implemented as planned, has great potential to change the structure of and reform the current higher education system. This scheme, which is modified according to the NEP 2020, has introduced a framework in cooperation with the states to promote research and innovation and employment-oriented education. The involvement of states to accredit, approve, and improve the standards may make the process faster and more efficient as they know the focus areas better. The forward and backward linkages to education and employment will provide a new horizon to higher education helping the students to have first-hand industrial/practical experience. Giving autonomy to states, institutions, and teachers may improve the environment in the institutions to impart education according to the local situation and conditions.
Conclusion
Education is a part of the Concurrent List of the Constitution. This scheme is a right step towards strengthening the federal nature of India. Involving the states in governance, administration, approvals, and identification of focus areas will make the process easier and more efficient. Not only that, the ministry does the final approval which will make sure that the selection is verified and accruing to the most needed districts and institutions.
States/UTs have to sign an MoU, after which the Centre will release the funds allocated. But this scheme also required the states to bear 40 per cent of the expenditure required for PM-USHA and carry out the administration, accreditation, and governance in the state. Not only that, states are also concerned that there are no specific funds to implement the recommendations of the NEP 2020. The outlay of around 13,000 crores for three years is the only fund the Centre has allocated for both PM-USHA and no separate funds for NEP. So, the states will need more funds to carry out administration and implement NEP and PM-USHA. Otherwise, it could become a burden to the states or result in a low implementation of the scheme and the NEP making these policies only limited to paper.
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