India Aims 30% Record Ratio In Higher Edu By 2020

It's a well established fact that India is going downhill in science education and research, despite of relative huge increase in funding and being the major technical manpower supplier for IT and global research community, successfully undertaking Moon mission and so on.

India, has now come up with new aims. Yes! It is now in a plan to increase its Gross Enrollment Ratio (GRE) from 18.1% to 25.2% by 2017 and around 30% increase in enrollment by the year 2020.

Planning Commission member Narendra Jadhav said "About 82% of the students in the age group 18 to 23 do not have access to higher education. This is because the 11th five year plan was the first plan to give importance to education."

On Friday, Narendra Jadhav was talking at a national seminar on the quality of higher education and economic development at DG Vaishnav College, Chennai. He said that "The 12th year plan looks to build on that. We will ensure that 10 million students have access to higher education. Around 3.3 million will have access to skill granting diplomas, one million will get open and distance education and the rest through expansion in degree programmes".

He further added that, the Government would set up 20 centres of excellence within the existing universities across the Country. And, nodal agency, tentatively named council for industries and higher education would be set up in order to promote collaboration between industries and education.

Indian higher education system has expanded at a fast pace by adding nearly 20,000 colleges and more than 8 million students in a decade from 2000-01 to 2010-11..As of 2011, India has 42 central universities, 275 state universities, 130 deemed universities, 90 private universities, 5 institutions established and functioning under the State Act, and 33 Institutes of National Importance.

Other institutions include 33,000 colleges as Government Degree Colleges and Private Degree Colleges, including 1800 exclusive women's colleges, functioning under these universities and institutions as reported by the UGC in 2012.