UGC Chairman Prof D P Singh said on Wednesday that the University Grants Commission has set a target to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education up to 30 per cent by 2020 from the present 25.4 per cent.
The UGC has also set certain objectives to improve the quality of higher education in institutions, Prof D P Singh added.
“The number of total students enrolled in higher education system has gone up to about 3.66 crore in 2017-18. The GER rose to 25.4 per cent in 2017-18, while the our aim is to increase it to 30 per cent by 2020,” Singh told reporters.
GER is the ratio of students enrolled and that fall in the age group of 18-23 years to the total population in that age group.
Mr Singh said the UGC has also recently put some more objectives for improving the quality of learning in higher education institutions (HEIs).
“The objectives include regular revision of curriculum with clearly specified learning outcomes and soft skills, enabling youth to secure access to employment/self-employment, developing social-industry connect, availability of motivated teachers and accreditation to ensure qualitative self- improvement in HEIs,” he said.
The UGC and the Ministry of HRD recently adopted 10 resolutions to improve the quality of higher education in a 3 day national conference in Pune.
These include achieving the UGC command in universities and affiliated institutions by 2020 and implementing learning outcome-based curriculum framework, enhancing and focusing on research productivity and boosting vocationalisation of higher education by participating in the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS).
The experts at the conference also stressed on the need to make students more sensitive encourage them to participate in social/economic for the betterment of the community by adopting at least five villages under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, and to strive for smart and clean campus by 2020, the official said.