The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : ‘Proposals on education can affect growth’

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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

‘Proposals on education can affect growth’

Staff Reporter

Recommendations by NKC might make higher education inaccessible: Baby

Allocation for education in 11th Plan is five times that of 10th Plan
Minister unhappy about private-public partnership in universities

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Certain “implementation strategies” recommended in the field of higher education by the National Knowledge Commission and by the Planning Commission are likely to defeat the objectives of faster and inclusive development rather than promote them, Education Minister M. A. Baby has said.

He was inaugurating a national seminar on ‘Quality Access and Social Justice in Higher Education’ organised by the Kerala State Higher Education Council here on Friday.

Recommendations for increasing fee in public institutions and for providing a level playing field for foreign educational institutions are likely to curtail access to higher education.

The suggestion for private-public partnership in setting up national universities is another cause for concern. The proposal to award liberal land grants to private universities might lead to private appropriation of public assets.

Question of regulation

“We in India have always believed that regulatory functions must rest with public authorities. Setting up private universities would involve granting regulatory powers to private agencies. In the prevailing atmosphere of commercialisation of education, this could lead to the erosion of both equity and excellence,” he said.

The theme of the seminar is in tune with the national priorities for education set out in the 11th Plan.

Plan’s benefits

“The Prime Minister has repeatedly described the 11th plan as an education plan. It is for the first time that a Five Year Plan is making an attempt to fulfil the national objective of spending 6 per cent of the GDP on education.

The gross budgetary support for the 11th Plan at 19 per cent is a big jump from 7 per cent in the previous plan. In nominal terms the allocation for education in the 11th Plan is five times that of the 10th Plan. The higher allocation will no doubt reflect in the higher education sector,” he pointed out.

Islands of excellence

In his address, vice chairman of the Council K.N. Panikkar called for a groundswell in the base of higher education in order to make access and equity a reality. He added that development of higher education in the country was quite lopsided as distribution of resources was unequal. The concept of ‘centres of excellence’ appears attractive but such centres often end up being islands of excellence.

Self-financing

The self-financing system which has gained currency in recent years has made the marginalisation of poor students more acute. This marginalisation interestingly takes plan in the name of merit.

“It is time to recognise that opportunity is another name for merit in a sharply divided society like ours… The Council holds the view, like all socially sensitive individuals and organisations, that no student should be deprived of the opportunity to study due to financial constraints,” he added.

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