The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has sanctioned ₹329 crore for Kerala under the second phase of funding under the Rashtriya Uchathar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).
The RUSA project approval board, which met in New Delhi on May 25, sanctioned ₹50 crore each for the Cochin University of Science and Technology and Mahatma Gandhi University as research grant. A sum of ₹2 crore each was sanctioned to 102 colleges for infrastructure development.
Five autonomous colleges — Rajagiri College of Social Sciences; Farook College, Kozhikode; St. Joseph’s College, Devagiri, Kozhikode; Mar Athanesius College, Kothamangalam; and Marian College, Idukki — were sanctioned ₹5 crore each.
Inadequate grade
Since Kerala had no university with a NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) grading of 3.51 or above, it could not get the ₹100 crore earmarked for ‘enhancing excellence in State universities’. Even though Kerala had applied for funds under the ‘equity initiatives’ for constructing women’s hostels, the board did not sanction funds for the same.
The board also did not sanction funds for ‘new professional colleges’ for which ₹26 crore had been earmarked for each institution. Higher Education Secretary Usha Titus told The Hindu that the main stumbling block for Kerala in cornering funds under many a RUSA component was shortage of faculty at many colleges and universities. This, she said, would in turn negatively impact the NAAC grading. “The State government, in the current Budget, has earmarked funds for filling vacant faculty positions in educational institutions. If this is done in time, institutions from Kerala can apply again for funds,” she said.
Kerala also lost out to States such as Jharkhand in cornering funds for setting up model degree colleges in “aspirational districts” (as designated by the NITI Aayog) such as Wayanad.
