New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has announced a number of steps to revamp the educational sector in the country. Presenting the union budget in Parliament on Wednesday, he announced the setting up of a single authority, the National Testing Agency, to conduct the entrance tests for all higher institutions like JEE, NEET and NET. So far, agencies like CBSE and AICTE were managing the tests. He also promised an increased emphasis on science education and flexibility in curriculum and proposed a system for measuring the annual learning outcome.
An innovation fund has been set up in the secondary education sector with focus on 3479 educationally backward blocks, including for ICT-enabled learning. The fund will ensure universal access, gender parity and quality improvement in secondary education.
In his Budget Speech, the Finance Minister said that the colleges will be identified based on accreditation and ranking, and will be given autonomous status. A revised framework will be put in place for outcome-based accreditation and credit-based programmes.
To promote digital education and reach out to the youth, 350 virtual courses will be started on the Swayam platform which will be extended to DTH channels dedicated to education.
"In higher education, the government will undertake reforms in the UGC. Good quality institutions would be enabled to have greater administrative and academic autonomy," Jaitley said.
Mr Jaitley announced an allocation of Rs 1,51,581 crore for the social sector, including education and health care, and said science education will be improved in schools. Sixty-two new Navodaya Vidyalayas will be started.
Ten public and private institutions each will be made world-class teaching and research institutions with an initial capital base of Rs 1,000 crore. A digital depository will be formed for school-leaving certificates, college degrees, academic awards and mark sheets, Mr Jaitely said.
