The State Government is all set to establish more universities and colleges while implementing the Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). The Rama Devi (RD) Women’s, Gangadhar Meher and Khallikote Autonomous Colleges will be upgraded as Unitary Universities and one more Technical University will be set up.
Minister of Higher Education Badri Narayan Patra informed this on Friday while addressing the first seminar organised to implement the RUSA in the State. Principal Secretary, Higher Education Gagan Kumar Dhal and Secretary, Technical Education Chandra Sekhar Kumar also addressed the gathering.
The RUSA is meant for improvement of the higher education system in the country. It is expected to help increase enrolment in the higher education institutions to the extent of 30 per cent by 2020. All the universities and colleges in the State would be covered under this scheme, said Patra.
The programme would be operational with a 65 per cent financial aid from the Central Government and 35 per cent contributed by the State, said he.
“We will try to bring a revolutionary change in the higher education sector in the State, special focus being given on how to increase the quality of higher education,” said Dhal.
Dhal said the State Government is committed to fulfil prerequisite criteria like setting up of a State Council for Higher Education by January 2014, preparation of a State Prospective Plan, Annual Budget to make the program a success. The State Government would set up a State Project Directorate of RUSA by January 31 for smooth implementation of the massive project.
Around 55 Government and Autonomous Colleges and universities have been asked to prepare annual plans and separate five-year plans for the implementation of the RUSA in their institutions as per the need of their institutions under the guidelines of the RUSA, said Head of Project Tracking Cell Mihir Das.
After receiving the reports from the institutions, the department would prepare a blueprint by another 10 days and the blueprint would be submitted to the Union Human Resource Development Ministry, he added.
Besides, the Government is planning to set up a State-level RUSA Mission Authority consisting of technical experts to address the problems the institutions would face during implementation of the scheme, he said.
The State would have `4 crore as a first instalment, with `3.6 crore being given by the Union Government and `2.4 crore being provided by the State,” said Consultant to RUSA Venkatesh Kumar.
The money would be spent in 17 different sectors including laboratory, library, infrastructure, appointment of teachers and teachers training.