Department of Higher Education

Overview

The Department of Higher Education, MHRD, is responsible for the overall development of the basic infrastructure of Higher Education sector, both in terms of policy and planning. Under a planned development process, the Department looks after expansion of access and qualitative improvement in the Higher Education, through world class Universities, Colleges and other Institutions. The Vision, Mission, Objectives and Functions of the Department are as under:-

Vision

To realize India's human resource potential to its fullest in the Higher Education sector, with equity and inclusion.

Mission

• Provide greater opportunities of access to Higher Education with equity to all the eligible persons and in particular to the vulnerable sections.
• Expand access by supporting existing institutions, establishing new institutions, supporting State Governments and Non-Government Organizations/civil society to supplement public efforts aimed at removing regional or other imbalances that exist at present.
• Initiate policies and programmes for strengthening research and innovations and encourage institutions - public or private to engage in stretching the frontiers of knowledge.
• Promote the quality of Higher Education by investing in infrastructure and faculty, promoting academic reforms, improving governance and institutional restructuring toward the inclusion of the hitherto deprived communities.

Objective

• To expand the Higher Education sector in all is modes of delivery to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education to 15% by 2011-12 to 21% by 2016-17 and 30% by the year 2020.
• To expand institutional base of Higher Education (including technical, professional and vocational education) by creating additional capacity in existing institutions, establishing new institutions and incentivizing State Governments and Non-Governmental Organizations/civil society.
• To expand institutional base of Higher Education (including technical, professional and vocational education) by creating additional capacity in existing institutions, establishing new institutions and incentivizing State Governments and Non-Governmental Organizations/civil society.
• To provide opportunities of Higher Education to socially-deprived communities and remove disparities by promoting the inclusion of women, minorities and differently-abled persons.
• To remove regional imbalances in access to Higher Education by setting up of institutions in unnerved and underserved areas.
• To enhance plan support for infrastructure and faculty development in the institutions of higher learning and to attract talent towards careers in teaching and research.
• To create conditions for knowledge generation through improved research facilities in universities and colleges.
• To promote collaboration with International community, foreign governments, universities/institutions and regional and international institutions, for the advancement of universal knowledge and intellectual property rights.
• To promote development of Indian languages.
• To promote autonomy, innovations, academic reforms in institutions of higher learning
• To undertake institutional restructuring for improving efficiency, relevance and creativity in Higher Education.

Functions

• Enhancement of Gross Enrolment Ratio by expanding access through all modes.
• Promoting the participation of these sections of the society whose GER is lower than the national average.
• To improve quality and to promote academic reforms
• Setting up of new educational institutions and also capacity expansion and improvement of the existing institutions.
• Use of Technology in Higher Education.
• Development of Vocational Education and Skill Development.
• Development of Indian Languages.
• International Collaboration in the field of education.