Separate evaluation based on performance soon for small universities: Javadekar

NT NETWORK

PANAJI

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar on Saturday announced that the government will come up with a separate ranking category for small universities, like Goa University, in the country under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

He was speaking at the 31st convocation ceremony of the Goa University here to confer degrees on 10,060 graduates.

The minister also said that in the near future, all the small state universities with a rating of less than 3.5 under the centrally sponsored scheme called Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) will also be made eligible to receive funds under the graded autonomy scheme.

“I have agreed to the suggestion made by the Vice Chancellor to evaluate and rank small universities based on per capita output, investment and performance and not based on the size and strength of students admitted in these small universities,” he said while reacting to a suggestion made by Vice Chancellor of Goa University Prof Varun Sahni.

He also announced the completion of the much-awaited draft National Education Policy (NEP) prepared by an eight-member panel, headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Kasturirangan, which is likely to be delivered to the Centre anytime soon.

In his opening remark, Prof Sahni said that it was not fair that all the universities, irrespective of their size, are evaluated through a common process.

“We will invite NAAQ again to re-evaluate us. We have received Rs 20 crore under RUSA 1.0 and the funds have been effectively utilised. If we get access to RUSA 2.0 funds, we can enhance the teaching and learning process. We have identified five key areas for future development which include multi-functional areas in energy research, data analytics, Western Ghats and marine ecosystem, cutting edge social and industrial development research and social country diversity and harmony,” the Vice Chancellor said.

“For the last four years, the Narendra Modi government has been trying to give proper direction to the education system in the country. Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and twelve other economists have come out with a 40-page paper on critical analysis of the Indian economy. In that paper, they have also stressed on the importance of education,” Javadekar said in his address to the graduates. He further said the research paper states that education should not just be input-led but also outcome-based. “Only the infrastructure in educational institutions is not important. The crucial parameter is how much is the outcome. Students are the barometer of the outcome of the educational institutes,” he said.

Speaking on the Right to Education (RTE) and the ‘no-detention policy’, Javadekar said, “We have seen that examinations have been cancelled till Class VIII and such a system might spoil the education and that is why we have created learning outcome, which lists what should be learnt by students in each standard. We have provided outcome-based education right from the primary education to Class VIII. That is the basic of our education,” he said, adding that quality, research and innovation are being given priority in education.