Mid Term Appraisal of Eleventh Five Year Plan—Second Part

Education in India

The Eleventh Plan placed great emphasis on expanding access to education at all three levels – elementary education, secondary education and higher education - also improving the quality of education. The Plan envisaged a substantial increase in the share of Central Sector Plan resources devoted to education.

 With regard to public expenditure on education, while the Central Government’s expenditure (as a share of GDP) has steadily increased since 2001-02 (Table 6.1), the States’ share on the other hand has declined pari passu. As a result, the total expenditure of the Centre and States combined, has registered a modest decline from 3.81 per cent of GDP in 2001-02 to 3.78 per cent of GDP in 2008-09.


Elementary Education
• Elementary education covers Classes I – VIII, with Classes I-V categorised as primary and Classes VI- VIII as upper primary. However, some States and Union Territories such as Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Lakshadweep, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Orissa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and Goa and have assigned Elementary cycle covering Classes I to VII. Major schemes in Elementary Education include Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid-Day Meals in Schools, Mahila Samakhya, Teacher Education, Providing Quality Education in Madarsas, and Infrastructure Development in Minority Institutions.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA):
• SSA launched in 2001-02 is implemented in partnership with the States and is the main vehicle for providing elementary education to all children in the 6-14 age-group. It encompasses all activities of school education viz. providing physical infrastructure, free textbooks for children, encouraging enrolment of girls and teacher training. It addresses the educational needs of about 19.4 crore children in over 12.2 lakh habitations through 11.07 lakh schools-primary (7.86 lakh) and upper primary (3.21 lakh) schools, and 0.87 lakh non-formal education centres under Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and Alternative and Innovative Education (AIE).
• The fund-sharing arrangement between the Centre and the States was 75:25 in the Tenth Plan and 50:50 in the Eleventh Plan. However, in view of persistent demand from States, the funding pattern for the Eleventh Plan was modified to a tapering-off ratio of 65:35 for the first two years, 60:40 for the third year, 55:45 for the fourth year and 50:50 thereafter. The Eleventh Plan outlay for SSA is Rs.71,000 crore (including funding obtained from the education cess). The allocation for SSA in the first four years of the Eleventh Plan is Rs. 51,871 crore and the anticipated expenditure during the first three years of the Plan is Rs. 37,217 crore.
• SSA has ensured almost universal access to primary education. The following achievements are worth noting:
• The number of rural habitations with access to a primary school increased from 87 per cent in 2002 to 99 per cent in 2008, and that of an upper primary school from 78 per cent to 92 per cent during the same period.
• In absolute terms, the enrolments in primary classes (I-V) increased from 11.4 crore in 2001-02 to 13.6 crore in 2007-08 and that for upper primary classes (VIVIII), from 4.5 crore to 5.68 crore.
• The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at primary level improved from 96.3 per cent in 2001-02 to 114.6 per cent in 2007-08, that for upper primary from 60.2 per cent to 77.5 per cent and in the total elementary cycle (I-VIII) from 82.4 per cent to 100.5 per cent. The gender gap in enrolment at elementary level has impressively declined from 17 to 7 percentage points.
• The GERs in respect of SCs and STs at primary and upper primary levels have increased at a faster rate than that for all categories put together for the corresponding period suggesting a welcome narrowing of the gap (Table-6.2) • The dropout rate at primary level has declined from 39 per cent in 2001-02 to 25.55 per cent in 2007-08. However, the decline is less impressive at elementary level, where it declined from 55 per cent to only 43.03 per cent, and continues to remain high (Table 6.3 and 6.4) Girls’ dropout rate declined at a faster rate than that for boys.
Table: 6.3
• The GER for SCs at elementary level (Class I-VIII) has gone up from 85.6 per cent in 2001-02 to 106.9 per cent in 2007-08 and the same for STs from 88.9 per cent to 109.6 per cent. However, while GER for SCs/STs shows a rising trend, the social gaps in dropout rates appear to be widening as nearly 52.62 per cent of SC children and 63.36 per cent of ST children drop out at elementary level. In large States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, over 50 per cent of SC children do not go beyond primary level of education.
• SSA focuses on girls’ education through the National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) and the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs). NPEGEL is implemented in 25 States and Union Territories covering 6956 Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE) Centres, providing remedial teaching to 11.44 lakh girls, bridge course for 89,462 girls, and providing uniforms etc. to 1.40 crore girls. KGBVs are operating in 27 States/UTs through 2,565 residential schools covering 1.96 lakh girls.
Table: 6.4

• The progress under SSA upto March 2009 includes opening of 3 lakh new schools, construction of 2.42 lakh school buildings, 10.33 lakh additional classrooms, 1.88 lakh drinking water facilities and 2.88 lakh toilets, supply of free textbooks to 9.54 crore children and an annual in-service training of 26.62 lakh teachers.
Mid-Day Meal in Schools (MDMS)
 The Mid-Day Meal scheme was launched in 1995 to support Universalisation of Primary Education (UPE) by enhancing enrolment, retention, attendance and simultaneously improving the nutritional status of primary school children. MDMS was universalised in September, 2004 by providing hot cooked meals to all children in primary classes. It was extended to upper primary (classes VI to VIII) children in 3,479 Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) in October 2007 and then universalized at elementary level in 2008-09. MDMS is the biggest programme of its kind in the world that provides cooked mid-day meals to the children and covered about 11.19 crore children during 2008-09 at elementary level.
 The Eleventh Plan outlay for MDMS is Rs.48,000 crore. The allocation during the first four years is Rs 32,764 crore and the anticipated expenditure during the first three years of the Eleventh Plan is Rs. 19,882.46 crore. The coverage of the scheme during 2007- 08 and 2008-09 has been 9.54 crore children in primary and 11.19 crore children in primary and upper primary taken together. During 2009-10, MDMS is expected to cover 11.77 crore children. So far, Central assistance has been released for 8.07 lakh schools for construction of kitchen sheds and 11.10 lakh schools for kitchen devices.
 The National Sample Survey (61st round) results (2004-05) show that the impact of MDMS has been significant, particularly in rural areas. It is reported that MDMS has covered 73.1 per cent of rural population in the age group of 6-14 of the rural population in 2008-09.
Mahila Samakhya (MS):
 MS endeavours to create an environment for women to learn at their own pace, set their own priorities, seek knowledge and information to make informed choices. MS is implemented in 9 states covering 83 Districts and 339 Blocks (including 233 EBBs) and 20,380 villages and has specialised inputs for vocational and skill development as well as educational development of girls and adolescent girls in particular. The anticipated Central expenditure in the first three years of the Eleventh Plan was Rs.114 crore against an outlay of Rs 210 crore.
SECONDARY EDUCATION
 Secondary Education deals with Classes IX-XII and serves as a bridge between Elementary and Higher Education preparing young persons in the age group of 14-18 years for entry into Higher Education. Following the RTE and success of SSA, it has become essential to move towards Universalising Secondary Education. The Government has set its vision on making secondary education of good quality available, accessible and affordable to all young persons in the age group 15-16 years.
 There are 1.69 lakh secondary schools in the country of which 63 per cent are under private management. The share of private unaided secondary schools has increased from 15 per cent in 1993-94 to 35 per cent in 2006- 07.
 There is considerable scope for Public Private Partnership (PPP) in this sector. Public sector should concentrate on opening new secondary schools in unserved and difficult areas, organising second shifts in thickly populated areas and upgrading existing upper primary schools into secondary schools, particularly in States like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal where educational institutions at secondary level have remained largely with private sector. Secondary education reforms should include dismantling entry barriers, revision of land norms and procedural changes. All unrecognised schools that meet the prescribed norms should be considered for recognition.
Review of the Eleventh Plan: Central Sector Schemes
 In the Secondary Education, there are six apex level National Institutions: Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Central Tibetan School Administration (CTSA).
 Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) primarily cater to the educational needs of the wards of transferable Central Government employees including defence personnel. There are 981 KVs with 10.16 lakh students. The total sanctioned strength of teachers in 981 Kendriya Vidyalayas is 40,552 and the student teacher ratio is 25:1. Performance of the students in Board Examinations in Class X and XII has been above the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) average. There are no KVs in the civil sector in 275 districts in the country. Planning Commission has supported the proposal of setting up of new KVs in metros, extremism affected areas and such areas where there is a concentration of defence establishments and personnel as well as in the Bundelkhand region.
 The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) schools are fully residential coeducational institutions from Class VI up to senior secondary stage providing free boarding, lodging, textbooks and uniforms to all students. There are 576 JNVs with 2.07 lakh students, of which SCs and STs constitute 24 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively. Seventy JNVs have been recently sanctioned in districts with SC and ST concentration. The performance of JNV students in Class X and XII examinations of the CBSE has been excellent. Additional JNVs are required in highly populated districts like Midnapore (West Bengal), several districts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and in some tribal districts like Bastar (Chhattisgarh).
 National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is an autonomous organization providing continuing education, from primary to predegree, to those who have missed the opportunity to complete schooling. NIOS provides flexible and learner centric quality school education, skill upgradation and training through open and distance learning. Currently, 16 lakh students are enrolled in NIOS with an annual admission of 3.71 lakh. The Accredited Vocational Institutes (AVI) for vocational education under NIOS need to be expanded and rated for infrastructure facilities and performance.
 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) provides technical and academic support to the MHRD and State Governments for quality improvement in terms of curriculum, preparation of textbooks and teaching learning material for school education. The NCERT continues to carry out its major ongoing programmes: preparation of textbooks based on National Curriculum Framework 2005; Jawaharlal Nehru National Science Exhibition for Children; support to State level science exhibitions; National Talent Search Examination; National Awards for Innovations in Teacher Education and School Education; and National Awards for Best Practices in Vocational Education. NCERT is engaged in conducting the Eighth All India School Education Survey (AISES).
 Central Tibetan School Administration (CTSA) runs about 71 schools for children of Tibetan refugees, mainly in the Tibetan Settlement Areas and in 2008-09, 10,052 students were on roll. In 2009 CBSE examination, CTSA schools achieved a pass percentage of 92.77 in Class X and 91.15 in Class XII as compared to national CBSE average of 88.84 per cent and 81 per cent respectively.
New Initiatives
 The Government of India has launched new Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), Model Schools, National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS), National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education, Inclusive Education of the Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) and Scheme for Girls’ Hostel.
 Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) is a major scheme launched in March, 2009 with the objectives of making secondary education of good quality available, accessible and affordable to all young persons in the age group 15-16 years, removing gender, socio- economic and disability barriers, making all secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, achieving a GER of 75 per cent in secondary education in a period of five years, providing universal access to secondary level education by 2017 and universal retention by 2020. The fund-sharing arrangement between the Centre and the States for the scheme is 75:25 in the Eleventh Plan and 50:50 in the Twelfth Plan. For North- East States, the fund sharing ratio is 90:10 in both Plan periods. Major targets include (a) strengthening of 44,000 existing secondary schools, (b) opening of 11,188 secondary schools, mostly through up-gradation of upper primary schools, (c) appointment of 1.79 lakh additional teachers, and (d) construction of 80,500 additional classrooms. However, the progress has been very slow as proposals from States and Union Territories are still under preparation. Since the scheme targets existing government schools, some States like West Bengal and UP with a low proportion of Government schools in secondary sector may not get an equitable share of RMSA funds. Therefore, RMSA needs equitable fund allocation criteria, with two-third weightage to enrolment in upper primary schools and one-third to child population of the relevant age group. There should also be flexibility to cover Government aided schools with infrastructure support, including library and laboratory facilities.
 Model Schools: Out of 6,000 model schools to be set up under the Eleventh Plan, 3,500 schools have been approved in KV template to be set up in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) in the first phase. So far, 327 model schools are recommended to be set up. The fund-sharing arrangement between the Centre and the States is 75:25 for all other States i.e. excluding Special Category States (eight NE States, J&K, HP & Uttarakhand) which has a ratio of 90:10. The progress of this scheme is also very slow, as States are taking considerable time to prepare viable proposals. Setting up 2,500 Model schools in PPP mode should be accorded priority.
 National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMS) was launched in June, 2008 with a provision to award one lakh scholarships every year to selected candidates @ Rs.6,000 per annum (i.e. Rs.500/- per month) for study in Classes IX – XII. The total number of selected candidates in 2009-10 was 24,521 in 27 States/UTs and it was reported that eight States/UTs did not send their proposals. Presently over 75, 000 students are availing scholarship under this scheme. This is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme but funding is entirely provided by the Central Government. MHRD has made state-wise allocation on the basis of two-third weightage to enrollment in classes VII and VIII and one-third weightage to child population of the relevant age group.
 The National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education aims at promoting enrollment of girls from the weaker sections, to ensure their retention at least till Class X, and preferably Class XII, reducing their drop out at secondary and higher secondary stages, improving gender parity and empowering girls. The scheme is applicable for girls belonging to SC, ST, who pass Class VIII examination and to girls who pass from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) and join Class IX in Government, Government aided and local body schools. A sum of Rs.3, 000 is deposited as a Fixed Deposit Certificate in the name of the eligible girl and the matured amount can be withdrawn by the girl subject to her attainment of 18 years of age and passing Class X and remaining unmarried. An amount of Rs.103.60 crore sanctioned for 3.45 lakh girls from 20 States and Union Territories in 2008-09 has been released to States for depositing with SBI to issue fixed deposit certificates. Under the Girls` Hostel Scheme, 287 proposals have been recommended by MHRD to set up hostels either in KGBV, Model schools or in Government Secondary/ Senior Secondary Schools in five States.
 The Scheme of Integrated Education for the Disabled Children (IEDC) launched in 1974 continued up to 2008-09 and during 2007-08 and 2008-09, 6.7 lakh children were assisted. The scheme has been revised as Inclusive Education for the Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) and is operational from 2009-10. The issues of recruitment of special teachers, orientation of teachers and development of pre-service training curriculum and involvement of NGOs have to be addressed.
 The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Schools Scheme aims at imparting computer literacy through grants to States and Union Territories. Up to 2008-09, 53,250 schools have been covered. The fundsharing arrangement between the Centre and the States is 75:25 and while for North- East States, the ratio is 90:10. Under the scheme, 31 KVs and 33 NVs have been assisted for converting them into SMART schools. The scheme is revised to cover all Government and Government aided secondary and higher secondary schools, in-service teachers’ training, computer teachers, broad band connectivity and development of e-content. Convergence with the Ministries of Power, IT and New and Renewable Energy is needed.
 The Scheme of Financial Assistance for Appointment of Language Teachers has three components: (a) appointment and training of Hindi teachers in non-Hindi speaking States and Union Territories (b) Appointment of Urdu teachers and grant of honorarium for teaching Urdu in States and Union Territories and (c) appointment of teachers of Modern Indian language. The scheme has been revised in 2008-09, giving flexibility for appointment of Urdu teachers in any locality where more than 25 per cent are from Urdu speaking group, 100 per cent central assistance for salary of Hindi/ Urdu teachers and training of Urdu teachers by three Central Universities (Jamia Milia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University and Maulana Azad National Urdu University).
 Vocationalisation of Secondary Education provides for diversification of educational opportunities for enhancing individual employability and reducing mismatch between demand and supply of skilled manpower. The scheme as revised in 1992-93 has been in operation since then with an enrollment of over 10 lakh students in 9619 schools and since inception total central assistance is Rs.765 crore. The Eleventh Plan envisaged expansion of vocational education coverage to 20,000 schools with an intake capacity of 25 lakh by 2011-12. Vocational education faces many problems - lack of social recognition, inflexible curriculum and duration, lack of need-based courses and trained teachers, poor vertical mobility and linkage with industry and absence of national competency and accreditation system. The scheme which is being restructured on the recommendations of the Task Force on Skill Development (2006) and will now aim at preparing educated, employable and competitive human resource for various sectors of the economy and the global market, enhancing the employability of youth through competency based modular vocational courses, providing multi-entry and exit learning opportunities and vertical mobility and interchangeability in qualifications.
 The allocation for Secondary Education in the first four years of the Eleventh Plan is Rs. 17,041.99 crore. The expenditure during the first three years of the Eleventh Plan is likely to be Rs. 7,467 crore i.e. about 14 per cent of the total Eleventh Plan allocation of Rs 53,550 crore, which is very low. This is inter alia due to the delayed launch of new CSS and time taken by States to prepare project proposals.
ADULT EDUCATION
 Literacy is the most essential prerequisite for individual empowerment. The National Literacy Mission (NLM) was set up in 1988 with an aim to achieve 75 per cent literacy by 2007. As per 1981 Census, the literacy rate in India was 43.6 per cent. Dominant strategies of the NLM and the Total Literacy Projects (TLP) have yielded some positive outcomes. Literacy rate moved to 52.21 per cent in 1991 and further increased to 64.8 per cent in 2001. As per 2001 Census, urban-rural literacy differential also declined and literacy rate for females increased at a faster rate (14 per cent) than that for males (12 per cent). However, gender and regional disparities persist. For instance, literacy rate among the Muslim minority was six percentage points lower than the corresponding figure for all others. The Eleventh Plan target for literacy is 80 per cent by 2011-12.
 Out of the 623 districts in the country, 597 have been covered under Adult Education programmes and currently, 95 districts are under Total Literacy Campaigns (TLC), 174 under Post Literacy Programme (PLC) and 328 under Continuing Education Programme (CEP). There are 26 Resource Centres in various States besides, 271 Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS) providing vocational skills to neo-literates. About 60 per cent of the beneficiaries are women, while 22 per cent and 12 per cent belong to SCs and STs, respectively.
 The amalgamated Scheme of Support to Voluntary Agencies for Adult Education and Skill Development has two principal components viz. (i) Assistance to Voluntary Agencies in the field of Adult Education, and (ii) Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSSs). The merged scheme provided for enhancement in financial support to State Resource Centres (SRCs), establishment of 14 new SRCs, provision of one time infrastructure grant of Rs. 50 lakh to new SRCs, enhancement of financial assistance for category A, B and C of JSS and establishment of additional 50 new JSSs. Neo-literates need to be provided marketable skills so as to improve their livelihood opportunities through JSS.
 The quality and performance of NGOs under JSS should be regularly monitored and evaluated by independent agencies and accreditation process evolved by the Central/ State governments to weed out the poor performers. JSS should run literacy linked vocational education programmes for people not going beyond Maktabs (Pre-Madarsa education) in Muslim concentrated districts.
 The constraints in the implementation of adult education programmes such as inadequate participation of State governments, low motivation and training of voluntary teachers and preraks, lack of convergence of programmes under CEP, and weak management and supervision structure for implementation for NLM needs to be addressed.
 Saakshar Bharat: A new Mission `Saakshar Bharat’ was launched by the Prime Minister on 8 September, 2009. It endeavors to create a literate society through a variety of teaching learning programmes for neo-literates of 15 years and above. The new Mission has targeted 70 million beneficiaries, of which 60 million are women and nearly 50 per cent of the target groups comprise SCs /STs and minorities. The programme will focus on rural areas, especially districts with low (50 per cent and below) female literacy rates. Nearly 1.70 lakh Gram Panchayats in 365 districts will be covered. Residual illiteracy in urban areas will be addressed through innovative partnership with NGOs and private sector convergence. Funding under the new Mission will be routed through banking institutions and implementing agencies will have cheque drawing powers. Innovative strategies and technology are needed to impart sustainable literacy to millions of non- literates in a reasonable period of time using primary school within habitations, incentivising existing and retired teachers as well as National Service Scheme (NSS) and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NKYS) volunteers. While there could be a special focus in 365 identified districts, some activities need to be sustained in other districts as well so that the efforts of TLC, PLP and CEP do not taper off.
 The allocation for adult education in the first four years of the Eleventh Plan is Rs. 1,994 crore and anticipated expenditure for the first three years of the Eleventh plan is around Rs. 813 crore. The Eleventh Plan allocation for Adult Education Programme is Rs. 6,000 crore.
HIGHER EDUCATION
 Expansion, inclusion and excellence along with equity and quality are the watchwords of the Eleventh Plan. The growth of higher education institutions with requisite faculty and infrastructure support has not kept pace with the increase in enrolments, and even less in relation to the apparent and latent demand. The GER in higher education in India is about half the world’s average GER (24 per cent), two thirds of that of developing countries (18 per cent) and way behind that of developed countries (58 per cent). India had a higher tertiary education GER in 1999 than that of China (6.0 per cent). However, China’s GER shot up to 22 per cent surpassing India’s by about 10 percentage points in 2007. The growth of enrolment in higher education was decelerating up to 2003-04 and remained more or less constant for the next three years at around 5.2 per cent per annum. It improved to 6.6 per cent in 2007-08 and recorded a much faster increase of 13.1 per cent in the second year of the Eleventh Plan (2008-09).
 India being a youthful nation has the opportunity to benefit from the demographic dividend if we can ensure support and access to higher education of the right quality. A recent study based on NSSO data shows that the rate of return to university and higher education is very pronounced in India9. This augurs well for investing in higher and technical education for transforming India as a major knowledge economy.
 The university and higher education system, at present, comprises 504 universities of which 243 are State universities, 40 are Central Universities while 130 are Deemed Universities and five institutions have been established under State legislation. There are 53 State private Universities and 33 Institutes of national importance established by Central legislation. In addition, there are 25,951 colleges including 2,565 women’s colleges.
 The total strength of teaching faculty in higher education is about 5.89 lakhs. There is a significant difference in the structure of teaching faculty in university departments and in affiliatedcolleges. While research guiding faculty consisting of professors and readers account for over 52 per cent in the former, this category is only 32 per cent in the latter. On the other hand, while lecturers account for 30 per cent in the former, it was 51 per cent in the affiliated colleges. Affiliated colleges lack adequate research guiding faculty and have poorer student-faculty ratio (25:1) compared to university departments and colleges (19:1).
Review of the Eleventh Plan: Higher Education
 The Eleventh Plan contained ambitious targets for enhancing public spending, encouraging private initiatives and initiating the long overdue institutional and policy reforms. The Plan set a target of increasing higher education GER to 15 per cent by 2011-12.
 The Eleventh Plan strategies focused on providing equitable access, improving quality and standards; evaluation and accreditation; expansion and strengthening of infrastructure, networking and digitisation, research and development; strengthening of open and distance education system and of research institutions. Restructuring and reforming the higher education system to improve accessibility and quality of services offered through greater autonomy and more participative governance are also key elements of Eleventh Plan strategy.
 The Eleventh Plan envisages large scale expansion in university education by setting up 1455 new educational institutions comprising 30 Central universities, 8 IITs, 8 IIMs, 10 NITs, 20 IIITs, 3 IISERs, 2 SPAs, 374 Model colleges and 1000 polytechnics.
 In all, 16 new Central universities have been set up. Of these, 14 have become functional in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. These include the three State universities which have been converted to Central universities. Two new Central Universities, one each in Jammu and in Kashmir valley in the state of J &K are being set up. All the North Eastern States have a Central university each and special funds have been provided to introduce engineering and management courses. Indira Gandhi National Tribal University has been set up at Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh. SAARC University is also being set up in Delhi under the Ministry of External Affairs.
 With a view to reducing regional imbalances, 374 new degree colleges would be set up in the backward districts out of which 200 colleges are targeted to be financed during 2009-10. The UGC has prepared guidelines for these Model colleges and has invited proposals from the States.
 National Eligibility Test (NET) and State Eligibility Test (SET) qualification is compulsory for appointment as Lecturers in the university system except for those with Ph.D from approved universities. To meet the shortage of faculty in higher educational institutions, the retirement age of teachers was raised in Centrally-funded educational institutions to 65 years. The pay package for university teachers has also been revised substantially.
 In order to promote the goals of equity and inclusion, several measures were proposed in the Eleventh Plan. These are in different stages of implementation. The measures include, inter alia, implementing the recommendations of the Oversight Committee (OSC) for 27 per cent reservation of seats for Other Backward Class (OBC) students and also of Sachar Committee; merit scholarship to 2 per cent of total enrolled students; setting up a Higher Education Loan Guarantee Authority for students’ loan programme; supporting the universities and colleges located in border, hilly, remote, small towns and educationally backward areas and those with larger student population of SC / ST / OBC / Minority / Physically challenged and girls besides construction of 2000 girls’ hostels. Two campuses of Aligarh Muslim University are being set up in West Bengal and Kerala.
 A new scheme has been launched to cover top 2 per cent of the students after Class XII (equally divided between boys and girls on the basis of Class XII results), by providing them with scholarship of Rs. 1000/- per month for 10 months in a year for undergraduate studies and Rs. 2000/- per month for 10 months in a year for post-graduate studies. Students securing 80 per cent and above marks in the Class XII or equivalent exams and not belonging to the ‘creamy layer’, pursuing higher studies or professional courses from recognized institutions as regular candidates, are eligible under this scheme. In 2009-10, over 36,000 scholarships were sanctioned under the scheme.
 A provision of Rs.84,943 crore has been made for the Department of Higher Education (DoHE) in the Eleventh Plan representing a massive increase over the Tenth Plan outlay of Rs. 9,500 crore. The allocation for the DoHE during the first four years of the Plan is Rs. 34, 683 crore and anticipated expenditure during the first three years is placed at Rs. 17,753.49 crore. Out of the total allocation of Rs.9,600 crore of the DoHE for the Annual Plan 2009-10, UGC has been provided a grant of Rs.4,375 crore and the actual expenditure (fund certified) as on 31 March, 2010 was Rs.3, 589.85 crore i.e. 82 per cent.
TECHNICAL EDUCATION
• The Eleventh Plan envisages that intake of technical education institutions grows at 15 per cent annually, to meet the skilled human resource needs of the growing economy. The Eleventh Plan outlay for Technical Education is Rs.26, 300 crore and the allocation for the first four years Rs. 15,053 crore. The anticipated expenditure for the first three years is Rs.7,829 crore.
Review of the Eleventh Plan: Technical Education
 As on 30 June , 2009 there were 7,272 technical institutions including management institutions with an intake of 14.10 lakh for degree and 2,324 diploma level institutions with a total enrolment of 5.08 lakh students, thereby making an aggregate intake of 19.18 lakh students. Thus,the total technical education enrolment at 19.18. lakh accounts for only 9.48 per cent of total higher education enrolments. This is not adequate for a country of continental size. Another dimension is the skewed distribution of the existing technical institutions. While the States of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have a deficit of engineering colleges, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra have large concentration of private institutions. The Government has expanded the students’ intake both through creation of new institutions as well as by augmenting the intake by 54 per cent to provide OBC reservation.
 The number of AICTE approved technical institutions which was 5,269 at the beginning of the Eleventh Plan, has increased to 9,596 as on June 2009. These comprise 2,872 engineering and technology colleges, 1,659 polytechnics, 1,080 institutions for degree and 575 institutions for diploma in Pharmacy, 179 schools for degree as well as diploma in Hotel Management, 16 institutions for Art and Craft and 106 institutions for Architecture. For postgraduate courses, there are 1,940 educational institutions for MBA/ PGDM and 1,169 for MCA. The public sector produces only a small proportion of the engineering and management graduates. Within the public sector, the State technical institutions account for a significant proportion, but these have not seen much investment in the current expansion process which is a matter of concern.
 The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has permitted second shifts in certain engineering colleges and polytechnics to augment the intake capacity. National Board of Accreditation (NBA) has revised the criteria for accreditation of institutes to bring them at par with international parameters.
 The intake of students at undergraduate level in existing seven IITs at Delhi, Mumbai, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Chennai, Guwahati and Roorkee has increased from 4,977 in 2008-09 to 5,464 in 2009-10. The Government has approved setting up of eight new IITs in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. All the eight new IITs havestarted functioning .
 The total intake of the existing seven Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) has increased by 17 per cent from 1,426 in 2007-08 to 2,100 in 2009-10. The RGIIM, Shillong (Meghalaya) has commenced its academic session from 2008-09 with an intake of 64 students. The Government has approved the setting up of new IIMs in the States of Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Rajasthan. In the first phase, four IIMs at Tamil Nadu (Tiruchirappalli), Jharkhand (Ranchi), Chhattisgarh (Raipur), and Haryana (Rohtak) were to be set up in the 2009-10, while IIMs at Uttarakhand and Rajasthan will be set up in 2010-11. The intake capacity per IIM is slated to increase from 140 students in the postgraduate programme (PGP) course to 560 students per year by the end of the Eleventh Plan. The Bhargava Committee set up by MHRD reviewed the functioning of the IIMs and has made various recommendations in September 2008, for expansion of intake capacity and PhD fellowships.

Important Economic Concepts
GDP Deflator
The GDP deflator, also called the implicit price deflator for GDP, is defined as the ratio of nominal GDP to real GDP:
GDP Deflator = (Nominal GDP/ Real GDP)
Nominal GDP measures the value of the output of the economy at current prices. Real GDP measures output valued at constant prices. The GDP deflator measures the price of output relative to its price in the base year.
Okun’s Law
Okun’s law says that a change of 1 percentage point in the unemployment rate translates into a change of 2 percentage points in GDP. Therefore, reducing inflation by 1 percentage point requires about 2.5 percentage points of cyclical unemployment.
Natural rate of unemployment
The average rate of unemployment around which the economy fluctuates. The natural rate is the rate of unemployment toward which the economy gravitates in the long run, given all the labor-market imperfections that impede workers from instantly finding jobs.