The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has flagged serious lapses, delays and deviations in the implementation of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) by the Kerala Higher Education department.
In its report for the period that ended March 2023, which included findings of the compliance audit of government departments, the CAG observed that the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) Act was amended in 2018, five years after the RUSA guidelines were introduced in 2013. While this resulted in delayed reforms, the amended Act contained provisions that were inconsistent with the Central guidelines.
State’s version
For one, while RUSA stipulated that the Higher Education Council should be chaired by an eminent academic or public intellectual, the State designated the Higher Education Minister as the chairperson. The audit report detected eight such deviations, while the State government maintained that the KSHEC Act was amended by incorporating majority of the provisions envisaged in the RUSA guidelines as well as the “specific considerations” of the State. It added that the amendments were not in conflict or detrimental to the broad objectives of RUSA.
The CAG report also highlighted that the State Higher Education Plan (SHEP) was prepared without conducting the mandatory baseline survey to assess access, equity and quality gaps. It also pointed out delays ranging from 347 days to over four-and-a-half years by institutions in submitting Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), which are mandatory to receive assistance under the Central scheme.
The government’s decision to restrict RUSA benefits to government colleges also drew criticism. The move apparently prevented 166 NAAC-accredited aided colleges from being considered for funding. The report pointed out that the KSHEC proposed six universities and 63 government colleges in the SHEP submitted to the Centre for funding. Notably, 35 colleges among those included on the list did not possess NAAC accreditation
Poor fund flow
The audit observed that financial management under RUSA was marred by poor fund flow and delays of up to 395 days in the release of the State’s share. Besides, the State failed to meet its own commitment under the RUSA memorandum of understanding to raise higher education spending to 2% of the GSDP by 2020. Instead, the spending hovered between 0.44% and 0.51% between 2018 and 2023.
The CAG also flagged an “unfruitful expenditure of ₹15.03 crore and idle investment of ₹5.05 crore” by the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum on two projects in Kottayam and Chalakudy. Both projects, sanctioned nearly a decade ago, remain incomplete due to poor planning and lack of technical expertise.