Eleventh Five Year Plan

34 Eleventh Five Year Plansouthern States (46%). Further, the proportion of publicsector institutions at degree level in the country isvery low around 20% and on the other hand around80% of diploma level institutions are in public sector.125 districts do not have even a single polytechnic.1.3.66 Even the existing polytechnics seem to strugglefor survival. Over the years, the diploma courses havelost the skill components and are perceived as dilutedversion of degree education. The Eleventh Plan willhave to address several issues including static curricula,poor industry interface, lack of flexibility to respondto needs obsolescence of equipment, lack of trainers,and inadequate funding.1.3.67 CP are wings of the existing polytechnics intendedto provide a platform for transfer of appropriatetechnologies to rural masses and to providetechnical support and services to the local community.At present, there are 669 CP in the country. Duringthe Tenth Plan period, about 13 lakh persons hadbeen trained in various job-oriented non-formal skills/trades.Eleventh Plan Proposals1.3.68 New polytechnics will be set up in everydistrict not having one already on priority basis. Thesepolytechnics will be established primarily withCentral funding and over 700 will be set up throughPPP and private funding. All these new polytechnicinstitutes will have a CP wing. Women’s hostels willalso be set up in all the government polytechnics. Theexisting government polytechnics will be incentivizedto modernize in PPP mode. Efforts will also be madeto increase intake capacity by using space, faculty,and other facilities in the existing polytechnics in shifts.1.3.69 There is a shortage of qualified diploma holderin several new areas. Therefore, engineering institutionswill be incentivized and encouraged to introduce diplomacourses to augment intake capacity. Diplomaprogrammes could be run in evening shifts when thelaboratory, workshop, equipment, and library are free.The faculty could be incentivized for institutions runningdiploma programmes in an optimal manner. Thiswill also restore the credibility of diploma programmesand also support vertical mobility for higher education.In fact, Sant Longowal Institute and NERIST, Itanagar,already have vertically integrated certificate, diploma,and degree programmes.1.3.70 Teachers in the polytechnics will be trained continuouslyto upgrade their teaching knowledge andskill to keep pace with the industry. The curriculumof diploma courses will be revised. Polytechnics willbe encouraged to involve industrial and professionalbodies in developing linkages with industries in theirvicinity.1.3.71 Setting up of additional 210 communitycolleges, mainly in northern, western, and eastern partsof the country will be supported on placement basedfunding. Existing 190 community colleges (largely insouthern States, some of which offer diploma courses)will also be supported for capacity building, trainingcost (equipment, faculty development, TLM, stipend,etc., but not for civil works and other capital costs).Funding will based on MoU between communitycolleges, States, and MHRD.DISTANCE LEARNINGIGNOU1.3.72 Access to education through the open anddistance learning system is expanding rapidly. IGNOUnow has a cumulative enrolment of about 15 lakh.It has a network of 53 regional centres and 1400study centres with 25000 counsellors. Besides, thereare 28 FM radio stations and 6 television channels.The university introduced 16 new programmesduring 2006–07. The Distance Education Council,an authority of IGNOU is coordinating the activitiesof 13 State Open Universities (SOUs) and 119 Institutesof Correspondence Courses in the conventionaluniversities.1.3.73 The pilot project of ‘SAKSHAT’—one-stopeducation portal—has been launched in October 2006to facilitate lifelong learning of students, teachers, andthose of employment or in pursuit of knowledge, freeof cost to them. The vision is to scale up the pilot projectto cater to the learning needs of more than 50 crorepeople. The portal contains the virtual class that hasfour quadrant approaches to learning, which include