Amritsar: Noted economist Sucha Singh Gill (Dean, Academic Affairs, Punjabi University, Patiala) has said that in this era of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation, the thrust should be on quality education. Gill said this while addressing a workshop of principals on “Relevance of Faculty Improvement Programmes” here on Saturday.

Outlining the initiatives taken by the University Grants Commission(UGC), Gill said, "The UGC has proposed to raise enrolment ratio in higher education from 10 per cent to 15 per cent during the 11th Plan. It has been proposed to set up one college each in all districts and 30 universities besides upgrading at least 20 universities."

Gill also highlighted the need for upgrading the curricula after every three years and also asked the authority to review the periodical performance of the teachers.

The famous economist also emphasized on introduction of a flexible system for orientation of the faculty. "If the universities were to excel, they would have to create their own fellowship programmes to meet the scarcity of general researchers. We must encourage our scholars towards original research than repetitive one," he added.

Gill also welcomed the National Knowledge Commission's recommendations regarding the increment in the number of universities from less than 350 to 1,500 which would enable India to attain gross enrolment ratio in higher education to 15 per cent.