Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP) Phase III (2016-20)

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs recently approved the third phase of the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme—a joint effort between the central government and the World Bank for improving the quality of education in engineering colleges. The total project outlay for this would be Rs 3,600 crore.

Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP) was conceived and designed as a long term Project to be implemented in 10 to 12 years in 3 Phases in order to support excellence and transformation in Technical Education in the country.

Each Phase of the Project was to be implemented on the basis of success achieved and lessons learned in the earlier Phase.

• The Phase – I of the Project started in 2003 which lasted till 2009.
• The second phase was from 2010 which lasted till October 2016.

Both projects have had a positive impact on the infrastructure and educational standards in the technical institutions where they were taken up. Institutions in the central, eastern and north-eastern region and hill States are at present in need of similar and specific interventions. The initiation and implementation of the project TEQIP-III will help to bridge this gap.

TEQIP Phase 3

The third phase would be implemented as a ‘Central Sector Scheme’.

• Funding- The total project outlay of Rs. 3600 crore. The project would be initiated with a cost of Rs. 2660 crore, with the possibility of additional financing of Rs. 940 crore at later stage. Out of the Rs.2660 crore, the Central share will be Rs.1330 crore and external assistance from the World Bank through International Development Association (IDA) Credit of Rs. 1330 crore. The project will be implemented with the facility of Direct Funds Transfer to the accounts of beneficiary institutes.
• Duration-The project will be initiated in 2016 and would be co-terminus with Fourteenth Finance Commission (2019-20).

Major outcomes of the project-

• Better academic standards, through accreditation, filling up faculty positions, training faculty in better teaching methods, improved research outputs in institution in Focus States/UTs.
• Better administration of the institutions with improved financial/academic autonomy.
• Better systems for assessment of Student Learning, higher transition rates.
• Transparent and expeditious release of funds to institutes by way of Direct Funds Transfer (DFT) System.

Focus States

The Focus States are 7 Low Income States (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh), 3 Hill States (Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand), 8 North-Eastern States (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura) and Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.