NEW DELHI: Planning Commission favours a less restrictive regime for private education providers; especially vis-a-vis fees. In its approach paper to the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, christened `Towards Fast and More Inclusive Growth,' finalised last Friday, the Commission has stated that "since these institutions are neither aided by the Centre nor by the State Governments, their fee structure cannot be expected to be on a par with those aided by the Centre/State Governments."

Making out a case for greater private sector participation in higher education, the Commission is of the view that a "suitably facilitative environment" should be created to allow such institutions to support the objectives of expanding higher education. Today, only about eight per cent of the relevant age group go to university while in many developing countries the figure is between 20 and 25 per cent.

About State control over the fee structure in private educational institutions, the Commission said they had emerged out of a series of court decisions "and may not reflect an adequate appreciation of financial compulsions." Further, according to the Commission, private institutions can develop only if they are allowed to charge reasonable fees while also providing need-based aid and free scholarship for a certain percentage of students. What the Commission has suggested in its approach paper runs contrary to the stated position of the Union Human Resource Development Ministry.

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