Allocation for higher, tech education to treble

The Budget allocation for higher and technical education in the country is set to treble in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-2012) with the Planning Commission expected to allocate over Rs 26,000 crore, compared to Rs 8,876 crore in the 10th Five-Year Plan.

Increased allocation to the higher and technical education sector would mean more funds to revamp the university education system and lay a thrust on technical education.

With less than 50 per cent of secondary school students in India continuing college education in any form, and almost two-thirds of Indian universities and 90 per cent of the colleges being rated as "below average" on quality parameters, the funds would be utilised to put in place a better system of education.

Also, the synchronisation of the university curricula with employment needs would be taken up. "The commission has put agriculture, education and health among the most important sectors this Five-Year Plan. A substantial amount will be spent on the same. We will also be looking at sponsorships in the education sector through the public-private mode so that education can get substantial funds," said a Planning Commission member.

The commission is targeting a gross enrolment ratio (GER) of 15 per cent by 2015. In the 10th Five-Year Plan, the GER was 10 per cent.

This would imply the government is looking at enrolling an additional 8-9 million students in higher education by 2015. The GER in most developed economies is between 40 per cent and 50 per cent.

The Planning Commission move comes in the wake of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's announcement of ambitious plans to revamp the education sector.

Recently, in a convocation address at the Mumbai University, the PM had announced setting up of 30 world-class universities across India that would become "launch pads" for the country's entry into the knowledge economy. Also, the HRD ministry has plans to set up three new IITs and IIMs and over a dozen Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs).

"If we need to capitalise on our latent human potential, we need a quantum leap in our approach to higher education. We need to revamp the higher education system. Our university system has to be well planned and well funded as we need a massive expansion of higher education opportunities," the PM had said.

"The move to allocate greater funds towards higher and technical education is also to eradicate regional imbalances with regard to education among different states," said a professor close to the development, requesting anonymity.

In India, 340 districts have extremely low college enrolments. The central government plans to work with the states to support the expansion of colleges to these districts. It is also planning to have at least one good college in each of these districts.