University Body Releases Development Plans For Higher Education Institutions

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has released a set of guidelines for institutional development plans for higher education institutions (HEIs). The guidelines have been released to support HEIs in academic, research and teaching excellence. It will advocate for a multi-disciplinary integration of subjects and would also enable embedding of vocational education, training and skilling. The HEIs will be prepared to be future-ready with a 15-year vision and span.

The commission has directed the UGC to make a strategic Institutional Development Plan with the joint participation of Board members, institutional leaders, faculty, students and staff. 

"National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recognises the importance of Institutional Development Plans and recommend that each institution will make a strategic Institutional Development Plan with joint participation.  To enable the higher educational institutions to undertake the academic and professional excellence journey in pursuance of the goals set in line with the vision of NEP 2020, UGC has developed guidelines for HEls to develop their own Institutional Development Plans to aim the goals set out in the NEP 2020," read an official notification from UGC. 

As part of the guidelines, the HEIs are expected to adhere to the following goals and development objectives:

1. Identify strategic goals, define the purpose, vision and goals of the academic institution.
2. Identify tactics for allocation of resources, form partnerships, thrust areas, initiatives and sequencing.
3. Prioritise initiatives- Determine which initiatives are most important and allocate resources accordingly.
4. Develop the plan- Outline a detailed plan of action, including  timelines, milestones and responsible parties for each initiative. 
5. Implement the Plan- Execute the plan and monitor progress, making adjustments as needed.
6. Review, evaluate and report: Regularly review and evaluate the plan, including measuring progress against objectives, using the S-Curve and analysing interlinkages and making changes as needed to ensure continued success.