Ten educational institutions each in the public and private sectors would be supported to make them world-class, HRD Minister Smriti Irani said today after the Rajya Sabha members articulated distress that no Indian institutions figure in the global top ranking list.
She said, “National ranking framework was being designed and some standards being set up for Indian institutions, with over 5,000 of them adding themselves to the framework.” She continued by saying, “Unfortunately, many in this House and across the country will accept that education has become more or less a pursuit of certification and less about pursuit of excellence.“
“Irrespective of us giving strict guidelines, if any violation brought to our notice, the regulator in the state concerned does take action against those institutions. There is a measure already in place,” Irani said.
Let us tell you, our government and UGC last year had identified 21 fake universities in the country and then a public notice was put up against them to warn and avoid the students from getting in link with these institutions.
She ensured that the technical course shall b provided at the respective institutes at a very low price for the unfortunate sections of the society and to to so she proposed that the government would soon launch ‘SWAYAM’ which is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).
Stating that regulatory powers for technical institutions rested with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), she said, “the law had provisions to penalize those institutions that charge higher fees than permitted. The recommendations of the national fee committee, headed by Justice Sri Krishna, have already been approved by the AICTE.”
Taking this to another level, Smiriti Irani said, “A mobile app, “Know Your College” has been started by two educational regulators — UGC and AICTE, to give information to the students regarding professionals appointed and registered in academic colleges. If any institution is lying or misleading the public with regard to information, but they have registered with regulators, then the concerned student or citizen or parent can bring it to the notice of the regulator and the regulator takes the appropriate action”.
All we can hope here is that the said statements shall be soon converted into a reality for taking the development of the educational institutions in the country.
