Eleventh Five Year Plan

Education 25• Curriculum revision at least once in every three yearsor earlier to keep syllabi in tune with job marketdynamics and advancement in research.(ii) ACCREDITATION AND RATINGS• Introduction of a mandatory accreditation systemfor all educational institutions;• Creation of multiple rating agencies with a body torate these rating agencies.• Department-wise ratings in addition to institutionalrating.(iii) TEACHERS’ COMPETENCE AND MOTIVATION• Restructuring of NET/SET with greater emphasis onrecruitment of adequate and good quality teachers.• Revamping ASCs and upgrading teachers capabilitiesthrough short and long term courses.• Expansion of research programmes/projects andincentivizing research faculty through fundedprojects/research.(iv) MISCELLANEOUS• UGC in consultation with stakeholders to arrive atoptimum size of universities and the number ofcollege affiliations.• Setting up of a new Inter-university Centre onhigher education to undertake specialized researchfor policy formulation.Autonomy and Accountability inHigher Educational Institutions1.3.20 The issues of autonomy and accountability arevery critical. While many initiatives have already beentaken on various aspects, a lot has to be done in thenear future with full determination.1.3.21 Autonomy is the sine qua non of excellence.Erosion of autonomy adversely impacts quality.Autonomy must, however, be linked to accountability.Furthermore, the government must ensure that feestructures do not lead to profiteering. Beyond this, theState/government must not interfere in institutionalgovernance.1.3.22 Higher education institutions must subjectthemselves to internal accountability to their stakeholderswith respect to their performance and outcomes.They need to set their own goals and targets to assesstheir achievements and subject themselves to peerreview. They should be subject to an apex regulatoryinstitutional mechanism that must be at an arm’s-lengthfrom the government and independent of all stakeholders.The main function of the regulatory mechanismwould be of setting and maintenance of standardsas also to evaluate performance and outcomes. Theregulatory framework must be conducive to innovation,creativity, and excellence in higher education.1.3.23 Autonomy has three inter-related dimensions:(i) Institutional autonomy in Academic Mattersenvisages that there will be a Governing Board inthe each institution that will be free to decidefuture strategies and directions, the processesgoverning admissions, curriculum updating, examinations,classroom processes, and the interfacewith the external environment as well as todetermine the standards and degree of excellence.The Board should consist of people of eminenceand should not have more than one third of itsmembers from the government, with the otherscoming from industry, the professions, andalumni to enable it to draw upon the services ofpersons of eminence and provide representationto all stake-holders.(ii) Governance related autonomy enables theGoverning Board and its Academic Councils todecide on personnel policies of the institutes,faculty recruitment and development plans, coreareas of academics, research and consultancyrelated strengths, delegation of administrativeauthority, and its performance review processesfor faculty and non-faculty personnel.(iii) Financial Autonomy will enable institutionsto mobilize resources from user fees, review feestructures,consultancy services, and donations.They can rationalize their fee structures accordingto the degree of excellence achieved both in termsof academic achievement and market value. It willalso unshackle the institutions, enabling them totake bold initiatives regarding campus accretions/additions, starting new faculties and new disciplines,creating competencies in new knowledgedomains, expanding infrastructure, and enlarging