India will soon have ‘Navaratna’ universities, on the lines of Ivy League institutions in the US. This will help premier Indian universities garner financial support and free them from government control. The human resources ministry has also mooted tax incentives for corporations that collaborate with universities for research.
Speaking at the 98th Indian Science Congress, which was inaugurated at SRM University near Chennai, Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal said: “We are working on the concept of Navaratna universities, or an Indian Ivy League. We intend to nurture these select universities, like public sector Navaratnas, with generous financial support, freedom to access external funding and total autonomy to free them from the shackles of government control.”
The eight Ivy League institutions in the US are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale.
The ministry’s proposal is aimed at developing human and social capital that will enable India’s youth to work and compete globally. Sibal said his ministry has set a target of doubling the gross enrolment ratio to 30 per cent and triple it in terms of actual numbers to 40 million students between 2011 and 2020, which the government has christened the ‘Decade of Innovation’.
“We have set out three generic principles that any new institute of higher education needs to embrace,” Sibal said. These include providing access to educational opportunities to all who desire and need it, reducing financial barriers, and building quality and accountability to ensure that what is taught is relevant.
“This is exactly what we are seeking to incorporate in the 30 new central universities that we are setting up,” said the minister.
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The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill, 2010, which has been tabled in Parliament, will provide for mandatory accreditation and create an institutional structure for the purpose. A National Commission for Higher Education & Research will be set up to regulate higher education. An Education Finance Corporation will also be set up to refinance loans to students, especially from lower-income families, and provide not-for-profit institutions access to low-cost funds.
Other initiatives, Sibal said, include promoting long-term academia-industry collaborative relationships and better integration of industry with higher educational and research institutions.
He said the ministry would encourage multidisciplinary collaboration between business, government, academia and R&D centres to create an environment that supports technological development and supports young researchers.