TEQIP project

Why in news?

• With the World Bank funded TEQIP project coming to an end in March 2021, Centre is preparing a plan known as MERITE project with some similar objectives to improve technical education.

About the project:

• TEQIP or Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme is a World Bank funded project to strengthen and upgrade the technical education System and benefited 552 polytechnics in 27 states including UTs of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry.
• Among the initiatives was a bid to recruit more than 1,500 faculty from top institutions — four out of five are from the NITs and the IITs — and send them to colleges that could never have afforded them.
• TEQIP project was launched in December 2002 and three phases of the ?3,600-crore project have been completed since it was launched.
• The third phase focussed on improving quality and equity in engineering institutions in seven low income, eight north-eastern and three hilly States.
• They were paid salaries in accordance with the Seventh Pay Commission.

Prelims Question

Consider the following statements with respect to Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme:
1.It is an Asian development Bank funded project.
2.It took teachers from elite institutions to teach in institutions is in poor states.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question