The University Grants Commission (UGC), as per the UGC Act, 1956, is responsible for promotion and co-ordination of University Education, determination and maintenance of standards of teaching, examination and research i ...
Category: Higher Education
Strengthening Higher Education Sector in India
The Government had constituted a Review Committee headed by Dr. Hari Gautam, former Chairman UGC to review the working of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The Committee had submitted its report. The process of reforms has already been initiated in the UGC. Significant funding reforms and regulatory reforms have been undertaken with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of regulatory mechanisms of the UGC.
The Central Government has launched several initiatives viz. National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Impacting Research, Innovation & Technology (IMPRINT), Uchchtar Avishkar Yojna (UAY), Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) in the field of education for the qualitative development of education in the country. Under the NIRF, Educational Institutions will be ranked by an independent ranking Agency for which objective criteria has been developed. They shall be ranked separately in fields such as Engineering, Management, Pharma, Architecture etc.
Under the IMPRINT initiative, the Government has taken the initiative to address major engineering challenges through the collaborative efforts of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian
“IITs are Recognised World over as Premier Institutes of Academic Excellence” – HRD Minister inaugurates IIT Goa Campus
Union Minister of Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javdekar inaugurated Indian Institute of Technology, Goa on Saturday, July 30th. He also laid the foundation stone for IIT Goa Students' Hostel. The newly set up IIT Goa shall function from temporary campus at Goa Engineering College, Farmagudi and will be mentored by IIT Mumbai.
Speaking on the occasion Union HRD Minister stated that IITs are recognised world over as premier institutes of academic excellence. He also stated that the Ministry is working towards increasing the perception of IITs so that IITs are ranked top in world rankings. He also congratulated the students who made into the IITs and described them as the cream of the country. The Minister also promised that the permanent campus at Loliem will be completed within thousand days. The Minister also mentioned about the IIT-PAL platform in which prospective IIT students can be coached from the best professors across the country through online, TV and other new media so that they can clear the IIT Entrance Examination. The Minister also mentioned how the IITs can use Government of India's Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY) in which industries can give specific research request to IITs and co-partner in technological development. The Minister also commented on Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) in which the best practices of foreign countries can be implemented in India through idea exchange. The Minister emphasised on Innovation, Make in India, and promised that Government will extend all support in making IITs as of Start Up hubs.
Quality of Education in Universities
The Central Government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) are constantly endeavouring to improve quality of higher education in the country. The Central Government has launched several initiatives viz. National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Impacting Research, Innovation & Technology (IMPRINT), Uchchtar Avishkar Yojna (UAY), Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) in the field of education for the qualitative development of education in the country. Under the NIRF, Educational Institutions are ranked by an independent ranking Agency on the basis of objective criteria. Under the IMPRINT initiative, the Government has taken the initiative to address major engineering challenges through the collaborative efforts of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The objectives of UAY scheme are to promote innovation in IITs addressing issues of manufacturing industries; to spur innovative mindset; to co-ordinate action between academia & industry and to strengthen labs & research facilities. GIAN scheme is for facilitating partnership between Higher Educational Institutions of the country and other countries. The scheme is aimed at tapping international talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs.
Autonomous status to colleges which have been granted the highest grade
The University Grants Commission(UGC) has informed that it has decided, in its 514th meeting, held on 12th April, 2016, to grant autonomous status to colleges accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Counc ...

Ranking of Higher Education Institutions
The Ministry of HRD has ranked top 100 Universities, 100 Engineering, 50 Management and 50 Pharmacy colleges in the country based on National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The details of these are available a ...
UGC requests Universities to shift to Grading System of Evaluation
The UGC has informed that under CBCS, universities are requested to shift from numerical marking system, which is followed presently in universities, to grading system of evaluation. The grading system is considered to be better than the conventional marks system and hence it has been followed in the top institutions in India and abroad. This will facilitate student mobility across institutions within and across countries and also enable potential employers to assess the performance of students.
Further, under CBCS, Universities will move from the conventional annual system to semester system. The semester system accelerates the teaching-learning process and enables vertical and horizontal mobility in learning. The credit based semester system provides flexibility in assigning credits based on the course content and hours of teaching. The guidelines issued by UGC are available at http://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/9555132_Guidelines.pdf
The UGC has informed that all the 39 Central Universities, funded by the UGC, are going to implement the Choice Based Credit System from the ensuing academic session. In addition, 21 State Public Universities, 5 State Private Universities and 6 Deemed to be Universities have also expressed their readiness for implementing CBCS.
Bill to Regulate IIMs – #HigherEducationInIndia
The draft Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) Bill intends to grant statutory status to Indian Institutes of Management to enable them to grant degrees to their students in the academic courses conducted by these inst ...
Setting up of New IIMs
The Union Cabinet has approved setting up and operationalization of six new IIMs at Amritsar (Punjab), Bodhgaya (Bihar), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Sambalpur (Odisha), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh), and Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pr ...
Know Your College (KYC)
With the time for admission to colleges having arrived, there is often confusion in the minds of students regarding which colleges to join and the courses to be taken up. To help the students make an informed decision on ...
Eighteen Central Universities have Introduced Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) at Undergraduate Level
A one day Review Meeting with Vice Chancellors (VCs) of Central Universities was held today in New Delhi to review the progress of decisions taken in the VCs’ Conference held at Rashtrapati Bhawan on 4th-5th February, 20 ...
Low Employability Biggest Challenge: Vice President at the “11th Annual Convocation of the Jamia Hamdard”
The Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that our education system, as a whole and at all levels, continues to suffer from the three problems of access, equity and quality. Despite the growth in recent decades, enrollment levels remain below the world average. Wide disparities exist in enrolment percentages across socio-religious groups, gender and geographies. Dropout rates continue to be high at the primary and secondary levels. The education sector is plagued by a shortage of well-trained faculty, poor infrastructure and outdated curricula. Resources as a percentage of GDP allocated to education remain at less than the required level. Addressing at the “11th Annual Convocation of the Jamia Hamdard” on the theme “Education, Empowerment and Employability” here today he has opined that given the direct correlation between education, employment and empowerment, the biggest challenge confronting us is low employability of our graduates passing out of the higher education institutions.