Handbook of RUSA

Higher education is very important for the development of any country. Government also realized the same and giving more importance to it. The success of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) has laid a strong foundation for primary and secondary education in India. However, the sphere of higher education has still has not seen any concerted effort for improvement in access or quality. In the coming decades, India is set to reap the benefits of demographic dividend with its huge working age population. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has predicted that by 2020, India will have 116 million workers in the age bracket of 20 to 24 years, as compared to Chinas 94 million. India has a very favorable dependency ratio and it is estimated that the average age in India by the year 2020 will be 29 years as against 40 years in USA, 46 years in Japan and 47 years in Europe. In fact, we have more than 60% of our population in the age group of 15 to 59 years. This trend is very significant on the grounds that what matters is not the size of the population, but its age structure. It would be a lost opportunity if we dont take advantage of this dividend. Herein lies the significance of higher education. RUSA will help the higher education to grow as per the need of the day. There are many innovative schemes under RUSA. It can happen only if these schemes reach to colleges, universities, its stake holders and teachers. Handbook of RUSA is an endeavor to help you study and take benefit of the its Schemes. It will be useful to Principals, librarians, Research Scholars, Educational Administrators, College and University Teachers, Colleges and Universities for ready reference.