EQUIP stands for the Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme, it is crafted by ten committees led by experts within the government such as NITI Aayog CEO, principal scientific advisor and former revenue secretary, as well as some corporate chiefs.
- It is proposed to put together an action plan to give a multi-pronged boost to the higher education system in India. It is to be implemented between 2019-2024.
- It is described as the implementation plan for the National Education Policy. It is meant to bridge the gap between policy and implementation.
- Objectives of the programme are:
- To double the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education.
- Improve teaching and learning processes;
- Resolve the geographically skewed access to higher educational institutions.
- Achieve globally acceptable quality standards across the country.
- Position at least 20 Indian institutions among the top global institutions.
- Promote the research/innovation ecosystem.
- Substantially improve the employability of the students.
- Promote framework for internationalisation.
- Better accreditation systems, use of education technology, governance reforms and a quantum increase in investments.
- Financing: The project will need to rely on extra-budgetary resources from the marketplace apart from Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).
Higher Education Financing Agency
- Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) was incorporated in 2017 as a joint venture of MHRD and Canara Bank with agreed equity participation in the ratio of 91% and 9% respectively.
- Its objective is to finance the creation of capital assets in premier educational institutions in India.
- It is registered under Section 8 [ Not-for-profit] under the Companies Act 2013 as a Union Govt company and as Non–deposit taking NBFC-ND with RBI.
- Recently, HEFA’s scope has been expanded to cover school education, educational institutes under the Ministry of Health, etc.