Reforming State universities: Why NITI Aayog’s autonomy push can’t replace govt support
1 month, 1 week ago

Reforming State universities: Why NITI Aayog’s autonomy push can’t replace govt support

The Hindu  

A report unveiled by the NITI Aayog, highlighting the critical reform of the India’s State University system, has emphasized the need for increased autonomy for State Public Universities. The NITI Aayog report, Expanding Quality Higher Education through State Public Universities, states that over 85% of higher education enrolments in India are concentrated in these SPUs. Revisiting familiar recommendations The call for greater financial and administrative autonomy in the NITI Aayog report echoes longstanding debates within Indian higher education. For Indian SPUs to achieve the vision outlined in the NITI Aayog report, a hybrid approach is essential: Increase State funding: Allocate a larger share of GDP to higher education, focusing on underfunded regions and capacity building.

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History of this topic

Lokesh promises unified act for governance of varsities
6 days ago

Lokesh promises unified act for governance of varsities

Deccan Chronicle  

Vijayawada:Education Minister Nara Lokesh has vowed to introduce a unified act for proper administration of the universities in the state. The minister said the government has decided to come up with a unified act for proper administration of government universities. He said that in 2016, the then government had come up with a special act to set up private universities …

Kerala Private Universities Bill 2025: CPM’s shift on education privatization with social regulations
6 days, 6 hours ago

Kerala Private Universities Bill 2025: CPM’s shift on education privatization with social regulations

The Hindu  

The Kerala State Private Universities Bill, 2025, has created much debate and discussion in the State since it appears to be a significant policy shift for the CPM-led LDF government. Private universities will have the same rights and powers as public universities but won’t receive financial support from the State government. In an exclusive interview to The Hindu, Kerala’s Higher …

Andhra Pradesh Government committed to strengthening universities: Minister Nara Lokesh
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Andhra Pradesh Government committed to strengthening universities: Minister Nara Lokesh

The Hindu  

“The Andhra Pradesh Government is committed to strengthening universities and improving higher education infrastructure,” announced Minister for Human Resources Development, Nara Lokesh, during a discussion in the Legislative Council. Andhra Pradesh Budget 2025-26: Experts flag increasing public debt Vacant positions would be filled within this year: Nara Lokesh Minister Lokesh acknowledged the existing vacancies in universities and assured that all …

Academics urge Karnataka govt to reverse move to shut down universities
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Academics urge Karnataka govt to reverse move to shut down universities

The Hindu  

A group of academics from Mysuru have urged the State government to reverse its move to shut down nine of the ten newly opened universities in the State. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Mahadev, the retired vice chancellor of ASBM University, Bhubaneshwar, and a former English professor at the University of Mysore, said the State government was to …

Ludhiana: On Day 2 of PAU conference, experts flag budget cuts for higher education
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Ludhiana: On Day 2 of PAU conference, experts flag budget cuts for higher education

Hindustan Times  

The 33rd two-day national conference of the All-India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations concluded at Punjab Agricultural University on Sunday. The conference, attended by university and college teachers from various states, highlighted the growing challenges in higher education due to government policies that are progressively withdrawing support from public institutions. Arun Kumar, national general secretary of AIFUCTO, raised …

Government colleges in crisis: Underfunded, outdated, and falling behind in the digital age
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Government colleges in crisis: Underfunded, outdated, and falling behind in the digital age

The Hindu  

In a country praised for its technological ability, a vital arm is silently under crisis: government-funded colleges. This drop has had a domino effect, restricting institutions’ capacity to provide competitive research funding, improve infrastructure, and draw and keep outstanding faculty members Dwindling resources, reducing quality The lack of sufficient money is seriously undermining numerous important areas. There are some obvious …

Student death at KIIT: A case of authoritarian governance, student rights and campus democracy
1 month ago

Student death at KIIT: A case of authoritarian governance, student rights and campus democracy

The Hindu  

The recent incident at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology in Odisha, involving the tragic death of 20-year-old Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal has drawn significant attention from both Nepal and India. Interestingly, a related emerging trend in Indian higher education is the growing appointment of retired army and police officers to leadership roles in universities and colleges.This practice is not limited …

Kerala among highest spenders on higher education per youth, says NITI Aayog report
1 month, 1 week ago

Kerala among highest spenders on higher education per youth, says NITI Aayog report

The Hindu  

Kerala continues to be among the highest spenders on higher education per youth, according to a recent NITI Aayog report on the state of higher education in India. The State’s innovative digital-learning initiatives have been singled out as the report’s sole ‘State good practice.’ The policy document on Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities highlights a …

Private varsities in the State to function under strict regulations: R. Bindu
1 month, 1 week ago

Private varsities in the State to function under strict regulations: R. Bindu

The Hindu  

Minister for Higher Education R. Bindu has said that private universities in the State will be allowed to operate only under strict regulations. While addressing a press conference at the Thrissur Press Club on Saturday she said the discussions regarding private investments in higher education sector is happening after the strengthening of the universities in public sector. However, now the …

Develop finance panels for state public varsities: Niti Aayog report
1 month, 1 week ago

Develop finance panels for state public varsities: Niti Aayog report

Hindustan Times  

The NITI Aayog, the apex policy think tank of the government, has recommended development of robust alumni engagement programmes as well as infrastructure finance agencies for state public universities on the lines of the Centre’s Higher Education Financing Agency, to effectively address their financial needs. Develop finance panels for state public varsities: Niti Aayog report In a report released on …

Niti Aayog report seeks more public funding for higher education
1 month, 1 week ago

Niti Aayog report seeks more public funding for higher education

The Hindu  

Among all states and Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir spends most for education as a percentage of GDP at 8.11%, followed by Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura according to a policy report prepared by the NITI Aayog titled ‘Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities’. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana continue to be the top …

₹20,000 cr R&D push in Budget 2025: A case for corporates tying up with private universities
1 month, 2 weeks ago

₹20,000 cr R&D push in Budget 2025: A case for corporates tying up with private universities

The Hindu  

In a pioneering move poised to reshape India’s innovation landscape, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the Union Budget 2025-26, has allocated ₹20,000 crore to the Department of Science and Technology to initiate a private sector-driven research and development fund.The government has also committed funds for fostering innovation in deep tech and emerging sectors, aiming to bolster strategic autonomy in critical …

On the selection and appointment of Vice-Chancellors of universities
Trending News
1 month, 3 weeks ago

On the selection and appointment of Vice-Chancellors of universities

The Hindu  

“The proper functioning of a university depends on the all-round acceptance of two basic principles. This suggests that the state government will have no power, while the centre will hold complete authority in the selection and appointment of vice-chancellors for state universities and appears to centralise control over the higher education system, undermining the autonomy of state governments. In 2022, …

Kerala to launch ‘Study in Kerala’ scheme, sets goals to become global hub for higher education
2 months ago

Kerala to launch ‘Study in Kerala’ scheme, sets goals to become global hub for higher education

The Hindu  

The Kerala government has set ambitious plans to position the State as a global hub for higher education. This initiative will be complemented by the introduction of Centres for Skill Development Courses and Career Planning in all higher education institutions, aligned with the recently implemented Four-Year Undergraduate Programme. Mr. Arlekar also credited the government for the notable progress made in …

'Centre, UGC trying to destabilise state universities,' says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
2 months, 1 week ago

'Centre, UGC trying to destabilise state universities,' says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

New Indian Express  

KOCHI: Terming it "concerning and disappointing," Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday criticised the new UGC regulations and said the Union government and the University Grants Commission are adopting an approach aimed at destabilising the universities under the State Government. Inaugurating the two-day 'International Conclave on Next-Gen Higher Education', the chief minister said the latest UGC regulations threaten the …

A one-liner ready reckoner for 2025 and beyond
2 months, 3 weeks ago

A one-liner ready reckoner for 2025 and beyond

New Indian Express  

Many wondered how I ended 2023 with a one-line article not realising that 2024 is no different as I undertake a similar exercise to capture the landscape of higher education that evolved during 2024 offering hope for 2025 manifesting in different forms beginning with the most essential requirement of autonomy to higher education institutions —administrative, academic and financial, the three …

Andhra HRD Minister Nara Lokesh takes up major overhaul of higher education
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Andhra HRD Minister Nara Lokesh takes up major overhaul of higher education

New Indian Express  

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh higher education sector witnessed transformative changes in 2024 under the TDP-led NDA government. Led by HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh, the department implemented significant reforms to enhance quality, infrastructure, and employment outcomes in universities. A comprehensive roadmap addressed key challenges, including the recruitment of 3,300 vacant university posts and the implementation of a unified law …

From Free Access to Free Market: The Rise of Private Indian Universities
8 months ago

From Free Access to Free Market: The Rise of Private Indian Universities

The Diplomat  

The number of private Indian universities is not rising – it has soared to the sky. Even a quick glance at the reality of these new universities shows that much of their growth represents a trend of Indian higher education sailing out to the waters of the free market. With this, hundreds of thousands of new private and middle schools …

India sets goal for half a million foreign students by 2027: NITI Aayog
1 year, 3 months ago

India sets goal for half a million foreign students by 2027: NITI Aayog

India Today  

In a groundbreaking speech at the 18th FICCI Higher Education Summit, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam unveiled India's visionary plan to attract half a million foreign students to its educational institutions by 2047. He articulated India's aspiration to position itself as a global education hub by enhancing quality, elevating brand value, and securing higher rankings on the international stage. Furthermore, …

Rankings, and the realities of higher education
1 year, 8 months ago

Rankings, and the realities of higher education

The Hindu  

The National Institutional Ranking Framework recently released the India Rankings for 2023. This is the eighth consecutive edition of rankings of higher education institutions in five categories — overall, universities, colleges, research institutions, and innovation — and eight subject domains — engineering, management, pharmacy, medical, dental, law, architecture and planning, and agriculture and allied sectors. As per the All India …

Educational institutions won’t face any dearth of funds: Bhagwant Mann
1 year, 10 months ago

Educational institutions won’t face any dearth of funds: Bhagwant Mann

Hindustan Times  

Describing the financial indebtedness of educational institutions as a social scourge, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said that educational institutions will not face any dearth of funds so that no student in the state is deprived of the opportunity to get quality education. Mann said that the state government is constantly striving to raise the standard of education by …

Without autonomy, Kerala universities will become govt department: Governor Khan
1 year, 11 months ago

Without autonomy, Kerala universities will become govt department: Governor Khan

Deccan Chronicle  

Nagpur: Without meaningful autonomy, universities in Kerala will be reduced to the status of a government department and their degrees will not be recognised outside the state or by the University Grants Commission, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has said. Khan, locked in a tussle with the Kerala government over autonomy of universities, asserted he is trying to save the autonomy …

Explained | Kerala Government’s Bills to remove the Governor as Chancellor of State Universities
2 years, 3 months ago

Explained | Kerala Government’s Bills to remove the Governor as Chancellor of State Universities

The Hindu  

The story so far: Kerala government has tabled University Laws Bills in the State Assembly to amend laws relating to the governance of State universities and remove Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as the Chancellor of State universities. Balagopal as he has “ceased to enjoy my pleasure.” Hon'ble Governor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan said:"The CM and Council of Ministers have every …

Plans to overhaul higher education afoot despite Bill awaiting Parliament go-ahead
2 years, 3 months ago

Plans to overhaul higher education afoot despite Bill awaiting Parliament go-ahead

The Hindu  

Published : Dec 01, 2022 10:35 IST The National Education Policy 2020, adopted in July 2020, envisages a restructuring of the higher education system. As part of this, institutions such as the University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education are set to be replaced by the Higher Education Commission of India, an umbrella organisation comprising four …

Rising aspirations aiding higher education abroad
2 years, 5 months ago

Rising aspirations aiding higher education abroad

The Hindu  

L chose to pursue a medical education programme at the Kharkiv National Medical University in Ukraine after weighing various local options in November 2021. As per leading educational consultancy firms in Kochi, there has been an average 20% to 30% rise in the number of students opting for higher education abroad in the current academic year compared to the enrolment …

Universities in Kerala uphold democracy, says Balagopal
2 years, 6 months ago

Universities in Kerala uphold democracy, says Balagopal

The Hindu  

Universities in Kerala are helmed by Vice Chancellors who might have divergent political views, but are academically proficient, Finance Minister K.N. Inaugurating the human resources development centre at the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University here on Monday, Mr. Balagopal said the State continued to follow its tradition of bringing top academics to the helm of universities. He added the universities …

National education policy 2020: The devil lies in implementation
4 years, 7 months ago

National education policy 2020: The devil lies in implementation

Live Mint  

The recently announced new National Education Policy 2020 sets out a vision for 2040 with a plan for transforming school and higher education across India. The experience of earlier national education policies suggests that in a federal system, implementation and coordination form a complex process, which can take as long as two decades. The NEP proposes a “light but tight” …

Opinion | Our national education policy is high on goals but low on realism
4 years, 7 months ago

Opinion | Our national education policy is high on goals but low on realism

Live Mint  

The new National Education Policy is the third overhaul of India’s education system in the life of the Republic. Unfortunately, notwithstanding various policy measures, what we have is a shambles of an education system: one where students achieve perfect scores in history and literature at school, but PhD theses are, in a great many instances, embarrassing documents attached to unemployable …

A long road: The Hindu Editorial on National Education Policy 2020
4 years, 7 months ago

A long road: The Hindu Editorial on National Education Policy 2020

The Hindu  

The National Education Policy 2020 announced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development sets for itself the goal of transforming the system to meet the needs of 21st Century India. It is no secret that primary schools record shockingly poor literacy and numeracy outcomes, dropout levels in middle and secondary schools are significant, and the higher education system has generally …

National Education Policy: Govt initiates bold reforms
4 years, 7 months ago

National Education Policy: Govt initiates bold reforms

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The new National Education Policy that received the Union Cabinet's approval on Wednesday has put in place a slew of education reforms both in the higher education and schools sector. But says it will lighten up the education regulation space by merging multiple higher education regulators like University Grants Commission and All India Council for Technical Education. “We …

A cry against hollow public life
5 years, 2 months ago

A cry against hollow public life

The Hindu  

The turmoil witnessed in many university campuses over the recent weeks brings into fresh relevance many fundamental issues in educational theory. Custodians of higher education are shocked because a vast majority of our colleges and universities are simply unaware of the knowledge that students bring from schools. The system of higher education in India is sharply divided between a beleaguered …

Opinion | Assault on public universities: don’t mortgage India’s future
5 years, 2 months ago

Opinion | Assault on public universities: don’t mortgage India’s future

Live Mint  

There appears to be a systematic assault on public universities in India that seems to have gathered momentum in the past six months. On the evening of 5 January, 70-100 masked goons, armed with metal rods, sledgehammers, wooden rods and stones, stormed the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in the national capital, thrashing students, beating up teachers, ransacking hostels, vandalizing property …

Focus on making higher education job-oriented: Rajasthan Governor to VCs
5 years, 3 months ago

Focus on making higher education job-oriented: Rajasthan Governor to VCs

India Today  

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday, December 11, 2019, asked vice-chancellors of 90 universities from the state to focus on making higher education job oriented. Speaking at the west zone vice-chancellors' meet organised by the New Delhi-based Association of Indian Universities here, the Governor laid emphasis on promoting innovations and setting new records in higher education. Appropriate changes to be …

The many structural flaws in India’s higher education system
5 years, 3 months ago

The many structural flaws in India’s higher education system

The Hindu  

The furore surrounding fee hikes at the Jawaharlal Nehru University has spurred deeper questions about the quality of university education. India’s higher education system is structurally flawed and underfunded. This crisis will affect innovation and human capital, the two pillars of labour productivity and GDP growth, while cheating India’s largest demographic of its potential. The government needs to recognise the …

Treating education as a public good
5 years, 4 months ago

Treating education as a public good

The Hindu  

It is not surprising that Jiddu Krishnamurti, arguably the greatest Indian thinker on education in the 20th century, does not find a mention in the most recent iteration of the New Education Policy 2019. The report’s 55-page brevity is matched by a reader-friendly organisational structure: four chapters focussing on school education; higher education; other key areas like adult education, technology …

For education, the new Niti Aayog Index could become a game-changer | Analysis
5 years, 4 months ago

For education, the new Niti Aayog Index could become a game-changer | Analysis

Hindustan Times  

The NITI Aayog’s recently launched State Education Quality Index, which was developed to evaluate the performance of states and Union territories in the education sector, has the potential to be a game-changer for improvement in education in India. Like the Ease of Doing Business Rankings have changed the business environment, SEQI can alter education outcomes First, the index shifts emphasis …

Pay more stress on quality education and reduce land requirement for private universities: Punjab CM
5 years, 7 months ago

Pay more stress on quality education and reduce land requirement for private universities: Punjab CM

India Today  

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday stressed on the need for quality education and announced his decision to reduce the minimum land requirement for setting up private universities in the state from 35 to 25 acres. Need for quality education The Chief Minister stressed on the need to ensure that quality education standards are maintained in the private …

No Proposal To Nationalize NLUs, Says Law Minister In Lok Sabha
5 years, 7 months ago

No Proposal To Nationalize NLUs, Says Law Minister In Lok Sabha

Live Law  

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in Lok Sabha on Wednesday that there was no proposal before the central government to nationalize the 21 National Law Universities established by different states, reports the NDTV.The Minister was replying to a query by Maneka Gandhi MP if there was any proposal to nationalize the National Law Universities and to provide them …

Liberalizing Indian Education: How Modi's New Education Policy (NEP) can give a new shape to India's education sector
5 years, 8 months ago

Liberalizing Indian Education: How Modi's New Education Policy (NEP) can give a new shape to India's education sector

India Today  

Indian education, which has remained tedious for ages, is likely to reshape significantly under Modi's new mandate. Liberalizing Indian Education: How Modi's New Education Policy can give a new shape to India's education sector To make this a reality, the government will restructure both higher and school education with a focus on delivering better education, nurturing students' skills, and preparing …

To tackle the learning crisis, put the states to the wheel
5 years, 10 months ago

To tackle the learning crisis, put the states to the wheel

Hindustan Times  

In India, the nature of the learning crisis is that it starts early on and increases as children reach higher grades. Majority of the children don’t acquire basic skills such as reading even by class 3 and so many of them get left behind, leading to an inequitable education system. From a political point of view, quality reforms in education …

NLU Student Consortium Demands Nationalisation Of NLUs, Grant Of ‘Institutes of National Importance’ Status
6 years, 3 months ago

NLU Student Consortium Demands Nationalisation Of NLUs, Grant Of ‘Institutes of National Importance’ Status

Live Law  

The National law University Student Consortium—comprising student body representatives of all National Law Universities— has issued a statement reiterating its demand for nationalisation of all NLUs and for grant of ‘Institutes of National Importance’ status to them.“On this twenty-sixth day of November we, the students of all the NLUs, renew and. The National law University Student Consortium—comprising student body representatives …

Govt moots quarterly performance appraisal of top educational institutions
6 years, 5 months ago

Govt moots quarterly performance appraisal of top educational institutions

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Much like the corporate sector, India’s top higher education institutions have been asked to furnish quarterly reports, listing their achievements and failings. The first official said that in the last two years, the central government has taken several steps to liberate the higher education sector through executive orders, as well as legislations, but a segment of the government …

Re-examine provisions of the draft higher education commission bill
6 years, 7 months ago

Re-examine provisions of the draft higher education commission bill

Hindustan Times  

The Higher Education Commission of India Act 2018 has envisaged the establishment of a new regulatory body that will regulate higher education in India. HECI needs to recognise that the functioning of discipline-based regulatory bodies have a direct and inextricable relationship to the functioning of higher education institutions in India. This is particularly significant given that one of HECI’s stated …

Autonomy in, UGC out: Wither public higher education?
6 years, 8 months ago

Autonomy in, UGC out: Wither public higher education?

Deccan Chronicle  

Some 62 universities and colleges had been granted in last March a degree of freedom from the oversight of the University Grants Commission, which itself is being repealed now. Also, the recently held People's Tribunal in Delhi on attacks on higher education institutions in India, in its interim report, said, “The centrality of higher education to the survival of Indian …

Education in 4 years of Modi government: Implementation remains a key hurdle
6 years, 9 months ago

Education in 4 years of Modi government: Implementation remains a key hurdle

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The Union government has taken several initiatives largely in the higher education space bringing instant cheer to the sector, but amid ambitious promises, implementation remains a key challenge. The Indian Institutes of Management Act to liberate management schools from strict government control, the higher education funding agency, the graded autonomy for top schools, bringing back the Central Board …

The dream of a Harvard on the Ganga’s banks
6 years, 10 months ago

The dream of a Harvard on the Ganga’s banks

Live Mint  

A new generation of private universities has begun to find its feet in different parts of India. These new universities are welcome in a country in which the lack of quality higher education means that students spend around $6 billion every year to study abroad. The private universities could do what a bunch of educational institutions did during the years …

Autonomy for universities doesn’t mean cutting State funds
6 years, 11 months ago

Autonomy for universities doesn’t mean cutting State funds

Hindustan Times  

The debate on the autonomy of Indian universities began soon after Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, made an announcement granting autonomy to a group of 60 higher education institutions. The debate on the autonomy of Indian universities began soon after Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, made an announcement granting autonomy to a …

NITI Aayog CEO pushes for reforms in India's over-regulated higher education sector
7 years, 8 months ago

NITI Aayog CEO pushes for reforms in India's over-regulated higher education sector

ABP News  

New Delhi, July 14 : NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on Friday pitched for more rapid reforms in India's higher education sector. Speaking during an event to mark the release of the 100th edition of 'Careers360' niche magazine in the higher education domain, Kant said, "We need great reforms in the higher educational sectors. Shiv Nadar University's Vice Chancellor Prof. …

Debate I Poor Students Lose Out When Profit & Higher Education Mix
7 years, 8 months ago

Debate I Poor Students Lose Out When Profit & Higher Education Mix

The Quint  

The University Grants Commission which oversees the regulation of higher education and its funding recently proposed to create a ‘level’-based categorisation of universities in India. Such measures are beneficial only in the administrative sense and don’t include academic freedom such as independent admission policies, syllabi changes or course structures. Also, universities under such categories have to raise private funds to …

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