‘Quotas in all colleges, univs from this yr’

25 bag spots on prestigious higher education list

NEW DELHI: Private universities and colleges will have to provide the 10% quota for candidates from economically weaker sections (EWS) as well as for those from the scheduled castes (SCs),scheduled tribes (STs), and other backward classes (OBCs) from academic session 2019-20 itself, Union Human Resources Development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday.

This will hold true for both aided and unaided private colleges, a senior HRD ministry official said, adding that the government hopes to achieve this through a bill that it plans to

›

The number of extra seats created will be more than 10%. If 100 people are admitted in a college today, the number will rise to 125. Only then all will get benefit in correct proportion PRAKASH JAVADEKAR, Union HRD minister

introduce in the budget session of Parliament that will make it necessary for all private colleges to create not just the EWS quota, but also force those that currently do not have a SC, ST, OBC quota to introduce these.

“A bill will be brought, most likely in the budget session of the Parliament, to give reservations to the economically weaker section among the general category, and also to Scheduled Castes,

Scheduled Tribes as well as the Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in the unaided institutions also,” the official added.

That could be contentious. Unaided private colleges currently do not provide SC, ST, and OBC quota after the Allahabad High Court ruled in a case in 2011 that they do not need to.

Legal experts have used that as a basis to suggest that even the EWS quota will not apply to unaided private institutions. A challenge of the Allahabad court’s decision is before the Supreme Court.

The minister said the number of seats in all institutions could rise by as much as 25% as they create space for EWS candidates, but without reducing the number of seats meant for other students.

“From 2019-2020 academic sessions we will have this reservation implemented while keeping intact the SC, ST and OBC reservation. This will be done by creating additional seats. The orders will be released by the UGC, AICTE and the ministry of Human Resource Development in a week,” Javadekar said.

LONDON: Twenty-five Indian institutions figure in the 2019 ranking of the top 200 in 43 emerging economic countries — seven more than the number that figured in last year’s table, according to data released by Times Higher Education (THE) on Tuesday.

The Times Higher Education Emerging Economies University Rankings shows that the Indian Institute of Science retains the highest spot for India (14th), followed by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (27th). However, each slips a place this year, mainly due to increased competition. THE said the 2019 table presents a mixed picture for India, with several new entrants and high risers, alongside several institutions that drop back.

The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee scales 21 places at 35th, due to improvements in research (volume, income and reputation) and industry income (knowledge transfer). The Indian Institute of TechnolNational

ogy Indore (61st) and the JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research (joint 64th) are the highest new entrants for India this year. The Savitribai Phule Pune University climbs 87 positions to joint 93rd, alongside the Autonomous University of Mexico, with a rise in its research score, and a significant rise to its citations (research influence) score, organisers of the ranking said.

Mainland China with 72 institutions remains the most represented country in the annual listing, claiming four of the table’s top five positions.

Ellie Bothwell of THE said: “Indian institutions have immense potential for success – not only on the emerging stage, but globally. But, while progress is clearly being made, other economies that previously lagged behind – such as Egypt and Malaysia – are starting to advance at a much faster rate.

“In this year’s table, India’s institutions perform well in teaching. However they are significantly behind the global average in terms of international outlook. Strengthening this will further elevate the nation’s global reputation for higher education, encourage important research collaborations and help attract international students.”