The Hindu : Business : Liberate higher education: Karnik

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Wednesday, Jul 19, 2006

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Liberate higher education: Karnik

Staff Reporter

Nasscom chief wants extension of SEZ concept to higher education

CHENNAI: A higher education set-up, granting freedom to institutions with regard to courses, curriculum, selection process, fees and salaries, and involving the industry, is something that the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) considers a driver to improve the quality and skills of the workforce.

The idea was to extend the concept of special economic zones to higher education and "liberate'' the universities from the constraints of bureaucracy, Nasscom President Kiran Karnik said here on Tuesday.

Briefing press persons after inauguration of the association's two-day Human Resources Summit-2006, he said if not across the country, the model could be tried out in a "limited way in a few places.''

"For the future of IT, especially the knowledge industry, new things [in education] must be encouraged ... today's system is not amenable,'' Mr. Karnik said. Under the model, the industry, as part of its social responsibility, could provide scholarships or 20 per cent of the seats should be reserved on merit basis for the economically weaker candidates.

Nasscom, however, is not keen on the Government dispensing with the Software Technology Parks scheme, which essentially helps start-up and small companies.

According to Mr. Karnik, the STPs should be continued beyond 2009 as the SEZs, as a concept, were essentially for the manufacturing sector and "skewed in favour of big companies.''

Noting that "a relook [by the Government] is absolutely essential,'' he said the STPs were required as start-up IT companies were key to the future growth of the industry. The Government response to the appeal of the association had been "reasonably positive.''

The industry, he said, could be expected to surpass the target of $60-billion revenue by 2010 if the emphasis was on more innovation. On the need for seed (angel) funding, Mr. Karnik said the Government should facilitate creation of a fund and treat such investments on a par with those in research and development.

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