Pvt sector contribution crucial to higher education
Minister of Human Resource Development Mr. Kapil Sibal stated that the private sector must play a bigger role in improving the standard of higher education in the country. The minister made his statement during the Confederation of Indian Industry's Annual General Meeting and National Conference, reported India Education Diary.
According to Mr Sibal, the government was not able to provide the required amount of funds to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education.
The agenda of reforms set by the government failed due to lack of discussion on key issues. Essential bills like the Foreign Education Providers Bill, National Commission for Higher Education and Research Bill and the Malpractices Bill lay stagnant at the Parliament as there were no discussions on them. The minister urges the parties to shift focus from politics towards the crucial agenda of education and support the government and ensure in the passage of these bills.
According to India Education Diary, Mr. Sibal highlighted the importance of state governments in shaping the education scenario of the country and exhorted them to concentrate on this sector and focus on the quality of approvals they were giving.
The HRD minister also expressed his concern on the lack of public debate on the positives of Right to Education. According to him, even if the government is providing 80-90% education at the elementary level, "All we hear in media is concern over the 25 per cent quota for underprivileged children and how it is going to affect the quality of private schools..." (Read more)
The current scenario demands for an extensive debate and discussion on the details of the legislation and how it's going to affect the education system of the country in the coming years. (Read more)
Taking on the issue of joint entrance examinations (JEE) for admission to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Mr. Sibal pointed out that the government was working on giving 40% weightage to class XII exams to ensure impartiality to girl candidates in the IITs.
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