Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)

- The Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)-a Centrally-sponsored scheme for reforming the State higher education system - approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on October 4, 2013 is going to adopt a completely new approach towards funding State universities.
- The key principles for RUSA funding are based on performance, incentivising well performing institutions and decision-making through clearly defined norms.
- These will help establish and rely upon a management information system to gather essential information from institutions.
- A total of 316 State universities and 13,024 colleges will be covered under RUSA and 54 existing colleges would be converted into model degree colleges.
- lnfrastructuregrants would be given to 150 universities and 3,500 colleges to upgrade and fill critical gaps in infrastructure especially libraries, and laboratories.
- The RUSA scheme would also support 5,000 faculty positoins. However, no funding will go to private universities or institutions under this scheme.
- In order to be eligible for funding under RUSA, States will have to fulfil certain prerequisities which include creation of a State Higher Education Council, creation of accreditation agencies, preparation of the State perspective plans, commitment of certain stipulated share of funds towards RUSA, academic sectoral and institutional governance reforms, and filling faculty positions.
- Funding through State Higher Education Councils would mean some funding powers of the University Grants Commission would be subsumed.
- This had been envisaged in an amendment to the UGC Act moved in 2004-05.
- It had proposed setting up of a separate commission to fund educational institutions and the HRD Ministry is thinking in terms of reviving that amendment Bill.
- Under the scheme, an initial amount has been provided to the State governments to prepare them for complying with the above requirements.
- Once eligible for funding under RUSA, the State will receive funds on the basis of achievements and outcomes.
- The yardstick for deciding the quantum of funds for the States and institutions comprise the norms that reflect the performance in key result area (access, equity and excellence).
- The State Plans will capture the current position of the states and institutions with respect to these indicators, as well as the targets that need to be achieved.
- The State Higher Education Council will undetake this process of planning, execution and evaluation, besides other monitoring and capacity building functions.
Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching
- The Mission envisages to address comprehensively all issue related to teachers, teaching, teacher preparation, professional development curriculum design, designing and development assessment. It is also envisaged that the mission would pursue long term goals of building a strong professional cadre of teachers by setting performance standards and creating top class institutional facilities for innovative teaching and professional development of teachers.