Higher education survey to divide states into 10 groups

The first ever survey on higher education will reveal data based on the division of all states into 10 different groups on the basis of geographical contiguity and the number of available institutions within the state.

For the purpose of organising the training and supervision of the field work, the ministry of human resource development has proposed that for each group of states, a supervisor may be recruited to monitor the field work in the states within the group. ??In addition, at the central level, a team may be constituted by the task force for overall guidance and facilitating the main survey,? according to the pilot survey.

Further, all the institutions of higher learning in the country have been divided into three categories. While Category one is of university and university-level institutions, the second category is of colleges and institutions affiliated to universities and the third category is of institutions not affiliated to any university or stand alone institutions.

More than 35 states and union territories have been put in 10 different groups, stating the number of affiliating universities, colleges, stand-alone institutions. According to the ministry, the existing data base on higher education is inadequate and out-of-date and the collection and dissemination of data on higher education suffers from incomplete coverage and inordinate time lag.

??Due to this, gross enrollment ratio (GER), which is being calculated on the basis of available data, does not reflect the correct picture of the country?s development in respect of higher education sector,? says the ministry which has set a target of increasing the GER from the present level of about 12% to 15% by the end of Eleventh Plan and to 30% by 2020.

The all India survey on higher education intends to identify and capture all the institutions of higher learning in the country and collect the data from all the higher education institutions on various aspects of higher education like institutions’ and teachers’ details, students enrolled in different programmes and financial information like receipts and expenditure.