HYDERABAD: The state, Central Universities and colleges across the country which get funds from the University Grants Commission (UGC) must improve their performance in academics to get more funds in future, Prof H Devaraj, vice-chairman, UGC, said. The UGC is closely monitoring the performance of all the universities and institutes, and their academic achievement will be the only criteria to sanction funds, he said.
Talking at a UGC sponsored national seminar on ‘Quality enhancement - role of higher education leadership in preparing next generation leaders towards institutional development’ at St Francis college for women here on Friday, Devaraj revealed that the UGC is planning several programmes for skill development in higher educational institutes.
Devaraj felt that the current education system emphasises more on the academics than skills. UGC is ready to support the universities which come forward to start new programmes in vocational courses, he said. It may be recalled that the UGC has already been funding a programme called Knowledge Acquisition and Upgradation of Skilled Human Abilities and Livelihood (KAUSHAL) under which 100 Centres of Skill Excellence will be established for skill development. These centres will coordinate the entire skill development efforts of higher educational institutions in the country.
Saying a very small number of graduates are pursuing higher education in India, he said the figures in the field of research are worrisome. Only 15 percent of the graduates are pursuing post-graduation and merely one percent of them are going for research.
UGC funds are one of the major financial source for many of the state universities. Any reduction in the funds can lead to financial crisis in many of them. Hence the universities must utilise the funds to develop the infrastructure and other facilities, Devaraj said.