HRD Ministry releases 5-Year Vision Plan on Quality Education

The Higher Education Department of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has finalized and released a 5-year Vision Plan titled as Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP).

About EQUIP:

• This Vision Plan by HRD Ministry is in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's direction for finalizing a 5-year Vision plan for each Ministry.
• EQUIP report has been prepared after a detailed exercise done by experts covering the following ten areas:

1. Strategies for expanding access
2. Towards Global Best Teaching/Learning Process
3. Promoting Excellence
4. Governance Reforms
5. Assessment, Accreditation & Ranking systems
6. Promotion of Research & Innovation
7. Employability & Entrepreneurship
8. Using Technology for Better Reach
9. Internationalisation
10. Financing Higher Education

• For above-mentioned focus areas 10 Expert Groups drawn from senior academicians, administrators and industrialists suggested over 50 initiatives that would transform the country's higher education sector completely.
• Goals set for the Higher Education Sector by Expert Groups are:

1. Doubling Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and resolving geographically and socially skewed access to higher education institutions in India.
2. Promoting India as a global study destination.
3. Upgrade Quality of Education to global standards.
4. Positioning minimum of 50 Indian institutions among Top-1000 Global Universities.
5. Promote Research & Innovation ecosystems for positioning India in Top-3 countries globally in matters of knowledge creation.
6. Introducing governance reforms in higher education for well-administered campuses.
7. Accreditation of all institutions for assurance of quality.
8. Doubling employability of students passing out of higher education.
9. Harnessing education technology for expanding the reach and improving pedagogy (method and practice of teaching).
10. Achieving a quantum increase in investment in higher education.

Question:

Q. What is the 5-year Vision Plan that the Higher Education Department of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has finalized and released called?
a. Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP)
b. Education Quality Upgradation and Induction Programme (EQUIP)
c. Education Quality Upliftment and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP)
d. Education Quality Upgradation and Innovation Programme (EQUIP)