Rashtriya Uchchattar Shikha Abhiyan RUSA Scheme, RUSA Scheme is for improving the quality standards in higher Education in all states of India. It has been approved by the central government. Smriti Irani is a minister of Central Human Resource Development, has conducted a meeting with representatives of all the states.
As part of this scheme, 65 percent funds will have bear central Govt and 35 percent funds will have bear state governments. All state governments should be approved of this scheme on or before June 30, 2014.
Main features in RUSA Scheme
To Establishment of new universities.
To Establishment of a new model schools.
To Establishment of new engineering colleges in 14 areas.
Provision of facilities in colleges.
Research and innovation programmes.
Teacher Training programmes.
Establishment of smart class rooms.
Vocational training at the Intermediate and the graduate level.
Equal education in all educational institutions.
Rashtriya Uchchattar Shikha Abhiyan(RUSA) Scheme Details
Rashtriya Uchchattar Shikha Abhiyan means National Higher Education Mission. It is holistic scheme of development for Higher Education in India. The National Development Council(NDC) had approved the Scheme as part of the 12th Plan proposal for the MHRD.
Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is a newly centrally sponsored scheme by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India to support the State Higher Education system. It provides a fresh approach to address concerns of access, equity and excellence through a reform based approach.
This scheme will be run on a mission mode over the next two plan (2012-2022). It will be a new flagship scheme of the government that will pave the way for far reaching reforms at the state level. A total of 316 state public universities and 13,2014 colleges will be covered under RUSA.
The centrally sponsored scheme aims at providing strategic funding by the central ministry through the state governments and union territories, which in coordination with the central Project Appraisal Board (PAB) will monitor the academic, administrative and financial advancements taken under the scheme.
The main agency through which is RUSA will work in the states will be the State Higher Education Council(SHEC), an autonomous body that will function at an arms length form the state and central governments. SHEC will be assisted by SPD and Technical Support Group.
The key objectives of RUSA are to improve access, equity and quality in higher education through planned development of higher education at the state level. It is proposed to set eligibility criteria for states to achieve a high and sustained impact of the project through monitoring and evaluation.
It is proposed to improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio from 19 percent at present to 30 percent by 2020. It will help create new academic institutions and expand new existing institutions, that are self reliant in terms of quality education and professional management.
They shall be characterized by greater tendency towards research and provide students with education that is both relevant to them as well as the nation as a whole.
Objectives of RUSA
To achieve the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) target of 25.2% by the end of 12th Plan and 32% by the end of 13th Plan.
Improve the overall quality of existing State higher educational institutions by ensuring their conformity to prescribed norms and standards
Adoption of accreditation as a mandatory quality assurance framework.
Usher transformative reforms in the State higher education system by creating a facilitating institutional structure for planning and monitoring.
Ensure governance, academic and examination (and evaluation) reforms and establish backward and forward linkages between school education, higher education and the job market.
Expand the institutional base by creating additional capacity in existing institutions and establishing new institutions in un-served and underserved areas by way of upgradation and consolidation.
Create opportunities for states to undertake reforms in the affiliating system. Rashtriya Uchchattar Shikha Abhiyan RUSA Scheme
Ensure adequate availability of quality faculty in all higher educational institutions and ensure capacity building at all levels.
Create an enabling atmosphere in institutions to facilitate research and innovation.
Integrate the skill development efforts of the government through optimum interventions.
Correct regional imbalances in access to higher education.
Improve equity in higher education by providing adequate opportunities to socially deprived communities; promote inclusion of women, minorities, SCs/STs/OBCs and differently- abled persons.
To identify and fill up the critical infrastructure gaps in higher education by augmenting and supporting the efforts of the State governments.
Promote healthy competition amongst states and institutions to address various concerns regarding quality, research and innovation.
Clearly define role of State governments vis-a-vis higher educational institutions and facilitate the creation of State Higher Educational Councils (SHECs).
Key Features of RUSA
RUSA is an umbrella scheme operated in mission mode that would subsume other existing similar schemes in the state higher education sector.
Funding under RUSA would be norm-based and future grants would be performance-based and outcome dependent.
Commitment by States and institutions to certain academic, administrative and governance reforms will be a precondition for receiving funding.
Funds would flow from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to universities and colleges, through the State governments/ SHEC.
Funding to the States would be made on the basis of critical appraisal of State Higher Education Plans (SHEPs).
SHEP should address each State’s strategy to address issues of equity, access and excellence.
Each institution will have to prepare an Institutional Development Plan (IDP) for all the components listed under the Scheme. It will be aggregated at the State level, after imposing a super layer of State relevant components into the SHEP.
State Higher Education Councils (SHEC) will have to undertake planning and evaluation, in addition to other monitoring and capacity building functions.
SHEC will be the key institution at the state level to channelize resources to the institutions from the State budget. It will also be responsible for advising the states in ensuring a balanced development of the sector and prevent distortions in terms of overcrowding and over commercialization.
Two on-going Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Model Degree Colleges and sub-mission on polytechnics will be subsumed under RUSA.
UGC Schemes such as development grants for State universities and colleges, one-time catch up grants, etc. will be dove-tailed in RUSA. Individual oriented schemes (for teachers, students etc) would continue to be handled by UGC.
Centre-State funding would be in the ratio of 90:10 for North-Eastern States, Sikkim, J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and 65:35 for Other States and Union Territories (UTs).
States would be free to mobilize private sector participation (including donations and philanthropic grants) through innovative means, limited to a ceiling of 50% of the State share (see chapter 6 of RUSA document for more details).
States would be free to further leverage the RUSA resources through supplementary funds mobilised through different government programmes, like DoNER’s and Dept of Economic Affairs administered Viability Gap Funding schemes, MPLAD, local body contributions, municipal funds, rural development or urban development programmes, rural and urban employment guarantee schemes etc. RUSA would also try to harmonise the states’ efforts with existing/proposed central sector schemes like NMEICT, PURSE etc.
State-wise allocations would be decided on the basis of a formulaic Fund Equalization Matrix, which would factor in the population size of the relevant age group, GER and Gender Parity Index (GPI) and Equity Index across categories, State expenditure on higher education, institutional density, teacher-student ratio, issues of access, equity and quality and excellence in higher education etc. (see Annexure V).
Further allocation of funds would be dependent upon performance of the state and its demonstrated commitment to the reforms agenda.
Target Group
All State public Universities and colleges. Government-aided colleges would be entitled to some components (including infrastructure support) as approved by the PAB. Funding to such colleges would be decided based on their antiquity, stature, need and other parameters on a transparent and objective basis.