50 institutes of eminence by 2024
nNEWDELHI:THE union government plans to increase the capacity of all premier education institutions by 50%in the next four years (by 2024) and will also take the number of institutions under the ambitions Institutes of Eminence programme to 50, HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said on Friday, detailing efforts to get more Indian students to “stay in India and study in India”.
Nishank mentioned some of the plans in a series of tweets, adding that he has also asked his ministry officials to address “concerns
of students returning from abroad , by supporting them to complete their programmes in India.” He added that “due to the Covid-19 situation, many students who wanted to pursue studies abroad have decided to stay back and pursue studies in India, and students who are already pursuing studies abroad wish to come back to India.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how the ministry would facilitate students already studying abroad to complete their programmes here. The HRD minister met with top officials of the ministry and directed that a committee be set up under UGC chief D P Singh to suggest how Indian students can be retained in the country’s institutions. The panel will give its report within a fortnight.
“We have to increase seat capacity by 50% in all premier institutions by 2024 and also increase the number of Institutes of Eminence to 50 by then,” Nishank told the officers according to an official statement released by the ministry. The ministry plans to give the IOE status to 20 institutions,10 in the public and 10 in the private sector. The move to increase the number will require the clearance of the Union Cabinet. The Institute of Eminence programme was launched to enable Indian institutions to become world class.
Among institutes selected for the IOE tag are IITS of Delhi, Mumbai, Madras, Delhi University, the Indian Institute of Science.
“Any plan to retain or bring talent back is welcome. It is estimated that about 8 lakh students, most of them graduates from publicly funded institutions, go abroad every year for higher studies,” said former UGC member Dr Inder Mohan Kapahy. The statement added that UGC chief Singh said there is a need to create more dual degree programmes and research facilities.