5.5.6 NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY 1979

6.  HIGHER EDUCATION

i. College Education:

A College occupies an extremely important position in the system of education. Therefore, the policy maintained that adequate physical facilities, healthy academic atmosphere, hostel accommodation and well-balanced academic and recreational activities would be provided to students, so that they could fulfill their critical role in the national development.

Other provisions laid down in the policy related to:

• Degree colleges would have only class XIII- XVI i.e. degree programmes of four years duration to be imported as higher education.
• Completion of improvised structures.
• Girls colleges, which had been upgraded to degree level in the past, would be provided with adequate buildings.
• Minimum strength of degree colleges would be fixed.
• Teaching of science subjects would be consolidated.
• Book Bank scheme would be re-casted.
• Social and cultural life of colleges would be revived and strengthened.
• An organized "Guidance and Counseling" service would be introduced.
• Adequate scientific equipment could be provided to colleges.

ii. University Education:

Educational progress and academic uplift of a university is determined by the quality of teaching in its institutions of higher learning. There had been a rapid growth in university education in the past. Therefore, there was an imperative need for its consolidation, improvement and further development.

The following are the main features of the steps taken by the policy in the said direction.

• The admission procedure to higher education, institutions and professional colleges would be re-determined and institutionally improved.
• A Bureau of Placement would be established to facilitate employment of students after completion of their studies.
• The entire funding of the universities would be born by the Federal Government. However, universities would not be federalized.
• The university Grants Commission (UGC) would be strengthened to coordinate and regulate higher education and research inthe country.
• A National Institute of Educational Research would be established to supervise id co-opordinate research on crucial national issues and problems.
• Agitational politics in universities and colleges would be discouraged in order to create an atmosphere conducive for better education on the campuses.
• A National Students Centre would be established to study and conduct research on student problems, issues and attitudes.
• A National Education Council would be set up as an autonomous independent body, composed of outstanding scholars for reviewing government policies and programmes in the field of education and to serve as a brain trust or think tank on education for consultation on various educational problems and issues.