Ten years after private engineering colleges made their way in the state in 2002, the cash-strapped state is all set to throw open its doors to self-financing degree colleges and universities as in other parts of the country. The proposal will be placed in the Cabinet for the final nod.
Pitching for the private sector to play a bigger role in higher education, President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said the private sector needed to step up its efforts to convince the people that it offered the best quality of education compared to the highest international standards.
The private vs. government debate is not a new one in education, but is less applicable to the university landscape. But it has gained momentum in Karnataka now in the backdrop of as many as 13 new private universities getting the green signal from the government to establish themselves in the State. So far, there were only two in Karnataka.
Those planning to set up private universities in the state will now have to follow a new mandatory condition - they will have to provide 50% of seats to students from Karnataka. Otherwise the state government will not provide them private university status.
In an effort to broaden the spectrum of higher education, the state government is set to rope in private players and impart quality education at the university level. The effort of the Trinamool government is seen as a step ahead of the erstwhile government's decision to set up a private technical institute of higher learning, like the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication at Kalyani, which didn't materialize.
Education should be kept away from politics. Wherever you have more regulations, you will also have more corruption. That is why private universities were propagated in the first place; to build an environment away from the trifling matters faced in public colleges.
Under constant criticism allowing large-scale private universities in the state, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Thursday said the government has decided to allow only 20 private universities to function in the state. The government has so far, already sanctioned 13 such universities, of which 11 are functional.
The Supreme Court, while deciding to examine the validity of the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), has permitted private medical colleges to conduct their own entrance tests for admission to MBBS/postgraduate/dental courses but they should not declare the results until its further orders.
In a previous op-ed (India fails test of 'knowledge economy', Asia Times Online, November 30, 2012), I drew attention to what can be called a "research deficit" in India's higher education. In it, I mentioned a study by Thomson Reuters according to which India produced only 3.5% of the global research output in 2010 and its contribution in most disciplines - including mathematics and computer science - was lower than its overall average.
Manipal Global Education Services, the Rs 1,200 crore higher education major, is looking to spin off its overseas arm into a separate entity. The overseas arms with operations in Malaysia, Nepal, Antigua and Dubai contribute as much as 55 per cent to the revenues and this will be the precursor to raising $100 million through the private equity route in the overseas arm.
Specially on the role of private sector in higher education, ASHE 2012 report says that the private participation in the education sector should of quality and of great intent. Taking cue from the success of private involvement in education in the 11th Plan, the report says that private sector should be encouraged to establish larger and higher quality institutions in the 12th Plan
Private Universities in India have grown from 16 to 140 in five years (124%) and from 100 to 140 in less than a year. This is astonishing growth as only universities in India have degree awarding power. Colleges are "affiliated" to universities as teaching institutions.
The bill seeking to set up six private universities in the State would pave the way for enhancing the quality of higher education, Higher Education Minister C T Ravi has said.
Perturbed over key bills related to reforms in higher education being stuck in Parliament for over two years, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday accused private players running educational institutes of stalling passage of these legislations which seek to raise quality.
Private bodies such as registered societies, trusts or companies and foreign institutions (termed ‘promoters’) will also qualify to set up the non-profit innovation institutions – either through collaboration or independently – after signing an agreement with the government.