Sibal wants 30% students to reach varsity level

Updated on: Sunday, August 01, 2010

Stressing for collaborations in the field of education, Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal today said he had set a target of 30 per cent students reaching university level in India by 2020.

â€œThe current rate is only 12.4 per cent. Presently, there are 500 universities and about 25,000 colleges in the country.

We need another 800 universities and 35,000-40,000 colleges to enable more 46 million children to avail college education,â€ Sibal said while inaugurating the Indo-US summit on higher education organised by the Indo-American Society (IAS).

He said 220 million children go to school in India out of which only 14 million reach college. â€œOur economy cannot sustain with such numbers. Out of the numbers which manage to reach the college, only 40 per cent pass 12 standard.â€

The ministryâ€™s aim is to increase the total percentage of students who avail higher education from the existing 12.4 per cent to 30 per cent by 2020.

Pressing for joint ventures in the field of education Sibal said the country cannot move forward in a fragmented manner in the field of education.

â€œEven with the expansion, only 60 million children will be able to go to colleges and universities. What about the rest, we need to empower them. Expansion and inclusion without quality is also of no use,â€ he said.

Sibal wants 30% students to reach varsity level

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