Why in News?

• In accordance with the decision of the Prime Minister for finalizing a five-year vision plan for each Ministry, the Department of Higher Education of HRD Ministry has finalized and released a five-year vision plan named Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP).

Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP):

• The Expert Groups drawn from senior academicians, administrators and industrialists, have suggested more than 50 initiatives that would transform the higher education sector completely.
• Double the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education and resolve the geographically and socially skewed access to higher education institutions in India
• Upgrade the quality of education to global standards
• Position at least 50 Indian institutions among the top-1000 global universities
• Introduce governance reforms in higher education for well-administered campuses
• Accreditation of all institutions as an assurance of quality
• Promote Research & Innovation ecosystems for positioning India in the Top-3 countries in the world in matters of knowledge creation
• Double the employability of the students passing out of higher education
• Harness education technology for expanding the reach and improving pedagogy
• Promote India as a global study destination
• Achieve a Quantum Increase in Investment in Higher Education.