Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education

SRJIS/BIMONTHLY/ DR.
SUBHASH SINGH (5489-5494)
EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Subhash Singh, Ph. D.

RRPG College, Amethi, U.P.-227405 A Grade Institution Accredited by NAAC
Associate Professor, Department of Education
AAAA
Abstract
Higher education in India is passing through a phase of unprecedented expansion, marked by an

explosion in the volume of students, a substantial expansion in the number of institutions and a
quantum jump in the level of public funding. The enormity of the challenge of providing equal
opportunities for quality higher education to ever-growing number of students is also a historic
opportunity for correcting sectoral and social imbalances, reinvigorating institutions, crossing
international benchmarks of excellence and extending the frontiers of knowledge. The12th FYP shall
focus on utilizing this historic opportunity of expansion for deepening excellence and achieving equal
access to quality higher education. 11th FYP Achievements: India has made enormous strides in
achieving these goals in more than six decades since independence, and the success milestones of its
higher education system are recognized globally. Yet, considerable challenges remain. To meet these
challenges, the University Grants Commission (UGC) called for a major thrust for expansion of
higher education and promotion of greater regional and social equity in the 11th FYP. During this
Plan, provision was made for setting up of 16 new Central Universities and 374 Model Colleges in
low Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) districts. The Government of India (GoI) provided for concomitant
expansion with equity through implementation of the recommendations of the Oversight Committee.
There was also a continued focus on achieving quality and supporting reforms in higher education
and promoting excellence. But considerable challenges remain.
Keywords: Equity, Inclusion, Community Education Development Cell (CEDC), Five Year Plan
(FYP), Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER)
Scholarly Research Journal's is licensed Based on a work at www.srjis.com
Introduction:
A massive expansion would require immediate attention to consolidation and better
utilization of existing infrastructure in the colleges and universities. The existing institutions
need to be incentivized and required to increase their student intake capacity. At the same
time such an expansion cannot take place only within the existing institutions or with public
sector funds. There is a need to create new institutions at a large scale and allow for a
significant role for communities and private sector to meet this deficit. It is vital that this
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SRJIS/BIMONTHLY/ DR. SUBHASH SINGH (5489-5494)
expansion should be inclusive, so that the additional capacity is created where it is needed
most. This would mean that the creation of new institutions should be focused in states,
regions and districts where student enrolment and institutional density is lower than national
average. Instead of spreading additional capacity across the board, there is a need to focus on
select streams and programmes where the current capacity is particularly low. We need to
evolve suitable models of collaboration where public purpose and resource can be synergized
with private philanthropy, commitment and energy to create new institutions that help to
redress the sectoral, regional or social skews in higher education.
A key measure of inclusive expansion will be significant increase in vocational education
through new polytechnics, new Community Colleges and vocational study provisions within
the existing universities. This would involve education for livelihood through skill
development, by de-emphasizing on degrees, and would serve disadvantaged sections. These
initiatives will not merely duplicate existing mores but create new pedagogical practices and
respond to a different set of needs. Through a range of transferable credit-based courses
leading to Certificate, Diploma and Associate Degrees, this would also bridge the gap
between secondary and higher education. The achievement of the goals for equity and
inclusion would call for a strengthening of the following approaches during the 12th FYP.
Building of capacity and improvement of infrastructure which can attract
andfacilitate the retention of students from rural and backward areas as well as
differently-abled and marginalised social groups.
Providing for pro-active measures through proper implementation of reservation
policy for students belonging to SC/ST/OBC and the disadvantaged.
Increasing the incentives offered to differently-abled students as well as those from
the marginalised sections so that they can participate in higher education with facility.
Strengthening measures to increase the achievement capacity of SC/ST students and
those from marginalised sections so as to reduce drop-out and to improve
performance.
Given that a part of the gap that is observed between social groups and gender at the
level of higher education is due to lower numbers and quality of passouts from the
school system due to higher drop out and segmented quality, there is a need for
improving the quality of schooling and retention of students from the marginalised
sections through enhancing the performance of the schooling cycle. The task is to be
addressed by the school system.

Monitoring of performance with respect to improving equity at the institutional level

as well as higher (state and country) levels.
These measures may be part of a long term plan to be drawn up to attain equity for all
groups by the year 2022. This has to be drawn sector-wise with a clear roadmap.
Strengthening of the following strategies is, therefore, proposed for the 12th FYP
initiatives:
Enhancing Participation of Women:
Schemes for capacity building for women administrators, Post-doctoral Fellowships
for women, women hostels, facilities and infrastructure for women, scheme for single
girl child should be expanded and strengthened during the 12th FYP.
In order to attract more girl students from the states, where the rural or urban GER for
girls in higher education is more than 5 per cent lower than the male GER, a new
scheme of Women's Higher Education Stipend (Mahila Uchha Shiksha Britti) may be
introduced. This stipend may be awarded to girl students from rural and/or urban
areas, as the case may be, who score higher than a certain grade in earlier public
examination and having family income less than a certain specified level. The stipend
should be in addition to the tuition fee waiver.
Enhancing Participation of SC/ST/Minorities:
Activating and Strengthening SC/ST/OBC Cells: Establishment of SC/ST cells were
initiated in the 10th and 11th FYP periods. There are grants from the merged grant
schemes. However, such schemes have not been very effective as the participation
and interest have been inadequate. The UGC/MHRD could make it mandatory for all
recognised institutions to have a Community Education Development Cell (CEDC)
which should monitor the intake of students, performance, capacity building efforts,
along with intake in faculty and administrative staff from deprived social groups,
including minorities. New programmes should be introduced to strengthen the
activities and the performance of these Cells.
Remedial Coaching Facilities for Students from Deprived Social Groups: The
programme presently provided for in the UGC Merged Schemes should be
restructured and remodelled to make it more effective. The UGC/MHRD may also
consider providing a grant for remedial coaching to recognized institutions, not
receiving other types of funding from the UGC/Government.Scholarships and
Fellowships for SC, ST, OBC and Minority students may be enhanced at all levels.

There may be more institutions in minority dominated areas.

To promote inclusiveness in private self-financing institutions, a stipendiary system
including a fee voucher system to meet financial requirement of the students from
marginalised groups may be evolved through Government funding by a process of
reimbursement.
Reducing Regional Imbalances:
The initiative taken to correct the regional imbalances by establishing 1,000
Polytechnics and 374 Model Colleges in the low GER districts may be taken on
priority basis. The nature of the Model Colleges can either be general Arts and
Science Colleges or Professional Colleges or Community Colleges as per the
requirements of the earmarked districts.
The implementation of the "Model College" scheme of the 11th FYP for the low GER
districts needs to be accelerated with 100% central government funding in order to
promote inclusiveness and expansion. The state governments may have to provide the
land, supply of water and electricity, etc., besides maintaining these colleges as
envisaged in the approved policy of the Government of India.
In addition, a scheme should be introduced to establish a Model College in each
district of the country, with 100 per cent financial support from the UGC.
Promoting Equity in all Disciplines:
In Engineering and Polytechnic Colleges, participation of the girl child is much lower. The
stipends mentioned above need to be introduced in all these institutions. The same may also
be followed in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and other nondegree professional courses.
Strengthening Infrastructure for Differently-abled Students:
Schemes for providing appropriate infrastructure and other support facilities for differently-
abled students should be strengthened and expanded during the 12th FYP. The UGC should
provide support to institutions/Research Centres for development of suitable technologies and
textual material for differently abled students. A special Inter-University Centre (IUC) may
be set up to coordinate the development of such technologies and their dissemination.
Inclusive Expansion:
Growth in numbers is the driving force of change in the field of higher education in India.
There are no signs of this growth slowing down. Indeed, there is every reason to push it
further, for the GER is still well below the level that could be considered adequate or
comparable to countries at similar level of economic development. The challenge of meeting
this deficit is compounded by the fact that the existing capacity is distributed very unevenly.
Regional distribution of institutions is highly skewed across and within states, enrollment in
public institutions is concentrated in conventional disciplines while private self-financed
institutions tend to cater to market-oriented courses. Enrolment data from colleges and
universities and the NSS based estimates offer slightly different readings of the total number
of students in the higher education sector, but both attest to the fact that the number is
increasing at the rate of about 6 per cent per annum. At current rate of growth, we should be
planning for at leastone million additional students every year. Assuming this annual growth,
the student body will grow one and a half times by the end of the 12th Plan. Given the need
to push expansion at higher rate and special measures to enhance intake in backward regions
and disadvantaged social groups, it would be appropriate to plan for about one crore
additional students (or 40 lakh additional seats, assuming an average two and a half year
cycle for an average student) by the end of the Plan period.
Other Measures to Enhance Equity and Inclusion:
(a) Utilizing Technology Facilities: For reducing the differences between urban and rural
enrolment and for enabling more women to participate in higher education, Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) may be used to a much greater extent. Distance Education
facilities using ICT may be of great help in improving the education scenario in the rural
areas. The National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT) should now be used for
bridging the gap between urban and rural and also between male and female populations.
Conventional distance education may also be extended to home makers in the urban and rural
areas with some more flexibility.
(b) Extending Loan Facilities: A large section of students may get an opportunity of
education in private and government colleges if a liberal loan facility is available to the
persons including the under-privileged students.
(c) Community Colleges: Community Colleges should be encouraged so as to
bridge the gap in skilled human resource between the general and marginalized
sections of the society.
(d) Greater Autonomy and Flexibility: In order to improve equity and implement the schemes
effectively, the institutions may be given more flexibility so that they can take need-based
decisions. Quite often the quota of ST students remains unfilled. In such cases, the colleges
should think of an option of providing the same facility to other under-privileged sections.
providing the same facility to other under-privileged sections.

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SRJIS/BIMONTHLY/ DR.

SUBHASH SINGH (5489-5494)

EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Subhash Singh, Ph. D.

Higher education in India is passing through a phase of unprecedented expansion, marked by an

Scholarly Research Journal's is licensed Based on a work at www.srjis.com

MAY-JUNE 2017, VOL- 4/31 www.srjis.com Page 5489

MAY-JUNE 2017, VOL- 4/31 www.srjis.com Page 5490

Monitoring of performance with respect to improving equity at the institutional level

MAY-JUNE 2017, VOL- 4/31 www.srjis.com Page 5491

There may be more institutions in minority dominated areas.

MAY-JUNE 2017, VOL- 4/31 www.srjis.com Page 5493

MAY-JUNE 2017, VOL- 4/31 www.srjis.com Page 5494

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