The Hindu : Karnataka News : `Higher education no longer a luxury'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 12, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

`Higher education no longer a luxury'

By Our Staff Reporter

The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh (left), having a word with the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Arjun Singh, on the concluding day of the Conference of State Ministers of Higher and Technical Education, in Bangalore on Tuesday. The Higher Education Minister, D. Manjunath (second from right), and the Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Arun Nigavekar, look on. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE, JAN. 11. The State Government, which had always strongly pleaded for Central legislation to protect the interests of meritorious students seeking admission to professional courses, had maintained its reputation by passing a comprehensive legislation ensuring that they were not denied seats, the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, said here today.

Addressing the Conference of Education Ministers on the second day, Mr. Dharam Singh recalled that he had led an all-party delegation to the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, in August 2004 seeking Central legislation.

Such legislation would provide for reasonable fees for government seats and ensure that continuous litigation did not disrupt the admission process, he said.

It would also allow discretion to private institutions and enable them to mobilise funds to improve quality and infrastructure, apart from enabling minority institutions to admit as many students as possible from their community within the State.

Globalisation

Mr. Dharam Singh, who noted that globalisation was inevitable and "probably beneficial" in the long run, however, said that while taking short-term measures, it had to be ensured that the ill-effects on the poor and weaker sections were minimal.

Priority

"Our priority should be to reform higher education, improve quality, and compete with international players on a level-playing field," he said.

Higher education was no longer a luxury, Mr. Dharam Singh said and in the knowledge society of the future, a society that neglected education would find itself lagging behind.

Benefits

Only seven per cent of Indians in the 18 to 23 age group enjoyed the benefits of higher education, as against 50 per cent in several other countries, Mr. Dharam Singh added.

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