Centre should fund higher education mission: Karnataka minister

Karnataka, on Thursday sought 90 percent funding from the central government to implement the national higher education mission - Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).

"Though education is a state subject under the concurrent list, the centre has to play a greater role by allocating 90 percent of the funds for the national higher education mission (RUSA), as the state's capacity to spend on the education sector is limited," Higher Education Minister R.V. Despande said at the 62nd meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) here.

The human resource development ministry, in its policy document on RUSA, recommended that the central and state governments should share funds to implement the mission in the ratio of 90:10, 75:25 and 65:35.

Lauding the ministry for coming out with an ambitious mission, Deshpande told the participants that special funds had to be allocated under RUSA to mitigate regional imbalances, gender and socio-economic inequalities. Asserting that the state was preparing to become eligible for RUSA funding, Deshpande said his department had set up three committees of educationists to revamp general degree courses, recommend a uniform academic calendar and uniform language curriculum and to suggest new courses in cutting edge technologies to industry and employers.

"We have already established a state higher education council to implement the RUSA mission in accordance with the guidelines given in the policy document," he added.

The day-long meeting was chaired by union Minister of State for Human Resources Development Jitin Prasada as the cabinet minister M.M. Pallam Raju stayed away following his resignation on the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh to create a separate Telengana.