New universities, model colleges by 2017

Five new model colleges will be set up in educationally backward districts, including Kasaragod, Wayanad, Malappuram and Palakkad.

The Kerala State Higher Education Plan has envisaged the creation of new universities and model colleges in the State by 2017.

The Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC), which prepared the report, had submitted it to the Union government’s Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) Mission Authority for assessment and final approval.

According to Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, the flagship programmes in the higher education sector during the 12 Plan Period will be executed by the RUSA Mission Authority in association with the State Higher Education Councils.

The funding for RUSA will be shared by the Centre and the States in the ratio of 65:35. The total Central contribution for RUSA during the 12 and 13 Five Year Plan period will be Rs.69,675 crore and the contribution by the States will be Rs.28, 459 crore. During the 12 Plan period alone the Central contribution will be Rs.16,227 crore while the State’s share will be Rs.6,628 crore.

Outlay The Higher Education Plan has outlined the financial assistance required under the scheme for its various initiatives till 2016-17. The total outlay during the Plan Period for implementing various schemes is Rs.1,338.84 crore. The annual plan for 2014-15 is Rs.375 crore, of which Rs.243.75 crore will be the Central share while the State’s contribution is Rs.131.25 crore.

Creation of new universities through clustering of institutions and upgrading autonomous colleges are the major schemes that will receive funding under RUSA. Setting up model degree colleges in educationally backward districts and polytechnics will also get assistance under the ambitious programme.

Taking a cue from the kind of projects that would attract funding, the Kerala State Higher Education Plan has proposed upgrading the best autonomous colleges in the State to a university before 2017. The total plan outlay for the initiative is Rs.55 crore during the 12 Plan Period.

The report has suggested converting a cluster of colleges into a university. The idea is to form a cluster by identifying a government college with the potential for being centre for excellence and clustering it with three nearby government colleges. The plan outlay for the scheme is Rs.55 crore.

Infrastructure grant Six universities in the State — the University of Kerala; Mahatma Gandhi University; the University of Calicut; the University of Kannur; the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit; and the Cochin University of Science and Technology — will receive Rs.20 crore each as infrastructure grant.

Five new model colleges will be set up in educationally backward districts, including Kasaragod, Wayanad, Malappuram and Palakkad, before 2016-17.

The Higher Education Plan report says that these new institutions will come up on the campuses of government colleges having sufficient land. The move is to set up the model colleges on the land available at Government College, Manjeswaram; Government College, Mananthavady; PTM Government College, Perinthalmanna; and Government College, Kozhinjampara.

The Higher Education Plan has also recommended upgrading existing degree colleges to model institutions during the 12 Plan Period. The Higher Education Plan has also suggested allocating Rs.120 crore under the 12 Plan for stepping up research and innovation. Three government colleges will be set up in Pathanamthitta and Malappuram districts as a special drive to increase the intake of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes students in the higher education sector.