Centre wants 20:1 student-teacher ratio in colleges
The collegiate education department to fill up 320 faculty vacancies
By : sabloo thomas
Update: 2014-11-05 06:01 GMT
Thiruvananthapuram: The Rashtriya Uchatar Shiksha Abhiyan Authority (RUSA) under the Union Human Resource Ministry has come down heavily on the present student-teacher ratio of 30:1 fixed in the colleges in the state.
The collegiate education department had sought a financial assistance of Rs 76.56 crore for filling up 320 faculty vacancies in various colleges under the 12th Plan period. However, the centre took the stand that it would provide the funds only if they brought down the ratio to 20:1.
RUSA coordinator in the state P.K. Velayudan told Deccan Chronicle that the state would reply to the clarification sought by RUSA in the issue. The RUSA followed a uniform policy for all the states. At the national level, the student-teacher ratio prescribed is 20:1, Mr Velayudan said.
The RUSA only considered aided and government colleges while factoring in the overall student-teacher ratio for the state. The ratio would come to 20:1 if self- financing colleges were also considered, Mr Velayudan said.
Though the state does not have written rules on the student- teacher ratio, the government had been following a 30:1 ratio for appointments for the last many years, Mr Velayudan said.
As per the RUSA norms, states with more than 20:1 ratio will have to first commit to bring down the faculty-student ratio to 20:1. The RUSA plan was to create 5000 faculty positions in universities and colleges during the current Plan period.
The Rs 99,000-crore RUSA programme was approved by the Union cabinet last year to increase the gross enrolment ratio in colleges from the present 19 percent to 30 per cent by 2020.