By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JAN 17, 2018: THE second day of the 65th Meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) was held under the Chairmanship of Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar here, yesterday. And the focus of the meeting was on Higher Education.

The following resolutions were adopted:-

i. CABE will make all out efforts to increase GER by opening new universities, colleges, using infrastructure more productively and using ODL and online education.

ii. CABE will take positive action to plug regional disparities and will prepare perspective plan.

iii. CABE commits to take necessary steps to ensure that no deserving student should be denied opportunity to have higher education for lack of means.

iv. CABE appreciates initiatives in giving more thrust on improving quality, accord more autonomy to quality institutes, and introducing digital initiatives to improve governance, enhance quality and choice.

v. CABE will strive more for bringing accountability of all stakeholders.

vi. CABE has decided to participate wholeheartedly in innovative programmes like Unnat Bharat, Swacch Bharat, Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat, Smart and Green Campus.

vii. CABE rededicates to ensure Equity, Accessibility, Quality , accountability and affordability.

In his opening address, the Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javedekar highlighted the need for reforms in education so that existing mismatches between education and employment and societal relevance can be addressed. He said the critical action agenda are, Perform, Reform and Transform in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the nation. The minister added that the thrust areas are Quality, Autonomy, Research and Innovation. The regulatory bodies will be reformed for ease in procedures and processes. He said graded autonomy of higher education institutions is being implemented based on laid down criteria. IIMs have been accorded full autonomy and this will be done for IITs too as well as colleges. The mantra is “let us fund and forget”. The Minister also informed about setting up 20 World class Universities /Institutes of Eminence mainly to promote greater research freedom and encourage a research culture. Expressing his concern that our higher education institutions lack in promoting innovation, the minister said this is being changed through new initiatives like Hackathon. Curriculum reform, anytime anywhere learning through SWAYAM, teacher training are all aimed at improving quality, the minister added.

The meeting was attended by the Union Minister for Culture and MoS(Independent Charge) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr. Mahesh Sharma and Dr. Satya Pal Singh, Minister of State for HRD.

The Union Minister for Culture and MoS (Independent Charge) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma highlighted the need for integrating education and culture to instil cultural pride in our youth. He requested the State governments to synergize their higher educational institutions with the Ministry of Culture’s Centres for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) located in the respective states. He urged the house, both Ministers and officials, to take a pledge in providing value based education and instilling cultural pride in youth. This is critical for taking advantage of the huge demographic dividend.

The Minister of State for Human Resource Development Dr. Satya Pal Singh appreciated the growth in GER to 25.2 % but the task to achieve GER targets requires a stupendous effort in the massive increase of seats that will be required. He also flagged the issues relating to strategically locating institutions near the natural resources, norms for buildings to be reviewed given the extent and reach of technology, benchmarking learning outcomes in higher education. He said that curriculum must cover uncovered domains such as community health, renewable energy, food safety, cyber security, and in other front end knowledge domains and technology. The Minister also emphasised on the need for proper embedding of culture and values in our education systems, so that the past is not lost as we advance into future developments. 

Brief presentations covering the Status of Higher Education, improving the Quality and Accountability in Higher Education, Digital Initiatives, Skill Development for New India – 2022 were made. The presentations also highlighted some of the recent digital initiatives and reforms agenda covering academic, accreditation and  governance reforms, progress in implementation of various schemes aimed at improving quality, ensuring equity, strengthening State institutions through Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan(RUSA), improving teacher quality through Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) among others which are currently underway in the higher education sector. Presentations on Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, and Unnat BharatAbhiyan were also made.