The Hindu : Front Page : Draft Bill to regulate admissions and fees in private professional colleges ready

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Saturday, Jul 16, 2005

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Draft Bill to regulate admissions and fees in private professional colleges ready

Special Correspondent

CABE, State Governments given one month to make suggestions

NEW DELHI: The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry on Friday set in motion the process of enacting legislation to regulate admissions and fees in private self-financing professional colleges in time for the next academic year by circulating the draft of "The Private Professional Education Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Bill 2005" to members of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE).

The Central legislation has been drafted in view of the demand from a number of States — particularly from the south where a bulk of the private self-financing professional colleges are located — for such a law. The proposed legislation will be applicable to deemed-to-be universities offering professional education, and private aided or unaided professional education institutions affiliated to a university established under Section 2(f) of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956.

While there is a provision for an Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee at the Centre to regulate fees and admissions in private/unaided professional institutions affiliated to a Central University or a Deemed-to-be University, every State and Union Territory will also have their own such committees to determine fees in such institutions affiliated to a State University. Such committees can fix the fees only after every institution has been given an opportunity to present its case. As for admissions, the Bill has stipulated the reservation of seats permissible under the management quota for different categories of institutions.

Members of CABE and all State Governments have been given a month to convey their views on the draft Bill, which if enacted, will have an overriding reach. Though affected States had been clamouring for such legislation in time for the upcoming academic year, the Ministry has set its sights on putting it in place for the next admission season.

This apart, CABE has decided to set up three standing committees to address specific issues. While the Standing Committee on Inclusive Education for Children and Youth with Special Needs will be headed by Maharashtra's Minister of School Education, Sports & Youth Affairs, Vasant Purake, the Standing Committee on Literacy and Adult Education to guide the National Literacy Mission will be headed by different State Government representatives on a rotational basis. The third such panel to take a holistic view about the development of children will be headed by Magsaysay award winner Shanta Sinha.

Of the seven sub-committees set up last year to address specific issues relating to education, CABE has accepted the reports of all but one.

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