The higher education scenario in our country is going to be changed within a short span of time. HRD Ministry has taken a series of measures to clean up the mess and would like to bring in accountability and transparency in Technical, Medical and Educational Institutions. The UPA Government has taken up this initiative based on the widespread allegations from various student bodies, parents associations and NGOs related with education that higher level education especially in private sector has become a commercial activity and the hype generated through various media channels have in real sense turned out to be an eye wash at the cost of quality education. Further, the students are forced to pay additional fees including exorbitant capitation fees to the authorities if they want admission in higher level educational institutions.
Quite often it has been observed that these educational establishments do not have the required infrastructure, experienced and qualified faculty and they have a tendency to promote their institutions by painting the excellent results with a view to encourage a prospective market at the cost of quality. How far such a scenario should be allowed to go unchecked is a million dollar question? Whether the Regulatory Authorities working under the HRD Ministries of State and Central Government are capable of controlling the widespread allegations against the higher level educational and technical institutions and have enough autonomy and power to take punitive actions or corrective measures? There are many such issues which churn the minds of right thinking educationalists and citizens of our country to create the cream layer of our future generation more worthy and knowledge oriented and become efficient and effective in their work spheres.
This is because latest knowledge of technical skills and educational background are required to carryout their duties, but definitely not the Certificates issued to them with certain percentage as their achievement in a particular area. The new era of globalization needs sharp minded technocrats having excellent educational and technical background to perform their roles with perfection by contributing their own share to make the products and services competitive and qualitative in the fast changing scenario of the modern world.
All the above factors including the large scale migration of students for higher level technical education to foreign universities and also the eagerness of the foreign universities to enter into the educational scenario of our country in view of its emerging role as a dominant economy has forced the Central Government to take some drastic changes in the existing regulatory system of higher level education. Four new bills such as Foreign Education Provider, Educational Tribunal, Accreditation and Prohibition of Education Malpractices have already been cleared by the Group of Ministers and approved by the Cabinet and the fifth bill calls for Amendment in the Architecture Act.
These bills are going to be tabled in the Budget session and expected to become law by Monsoon session. These steps of the Central Government is going to change the face of higher education in the area of accreditation of higher educational institutions and setting up of education tribunals and curbing the existing malpractices practices and empowering the students and parents to take punitive action against erring institutions.
The present monopoly of the Government run accreditation agencies are going to be curtailed and as per the proposed law, there will be multiple accreditation agencies mostly private with their actions being monitored by a National Authority for regulation of Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions with an autonomous body on the lines of Sebi for regulating the Accreditation Agencies. The term of the Members is for five years and they may not be eligible for further employment in any higher educational institutions of Central and State Government. Accreditation Agencies will accredit Institutions in the areas of teaching, learning and research, human resource and research infrastructure, placement, governance structures and course curriculum.
However, the Education Tribunal Bill calls for a three tier structure to deal with disputes between students and institutions, teacher and institutions as well as dispute in connection with affiliation, unfair means adopted by students in examination and also by the Institutions. As such National Education Tribunal Bill may not adjudicate the matters concerning recognition and shall have the power to adjudicate any disputes between two or more statutory regulatory bodies and also the affiliation disputes of higher educational institutions including the affiliation of University controlled by the Central Government.
As regards the status to be given to foreign universities, HRD Ministry has left it to Government to decide about their role and regulation to be made in their routine activities. However, it has become certain that “
Malpractices Bill enlists about 25 major malpractices being practiced an followed by the Institutions. The proposed Bill has provisions impose hefty fines upto Rs. 50 lacs and imprisonment for a period of three years for collecting capitation fees and also for giving wrong information about faculty and facilities, overcharging on various heads including non-transparent admission procedure and also the failure to provide quality education. The Police is empowered to arrest the administrative officials of such institutions without producing any warrant and charge sheet.
The omissions and failures on the part of the institutions are adjudicated as criminal or civil offence depending on the nature of the crime. The collection of capitation fees from the students and failure to practice the terms and conditions mentioned in the practice shall be considered as criminal offences and it shall be tried in a Court of law, while civil offences will be tried in Educational Tribunals and it has the power to settle the dispute regarding any type of malpractices or harassment against the students.
Although the various provisions are provided in the Educational Reforms Bills are praise worthy and would become a model law for the lacunae existing in the educational scenario of our country, it has to be seen how the laws are applied at the ground level and its success rests upon the enforcing authorities and their sincere and dedication to implement as per the letter of spirit. HRD Ministry has a gigantic responsibility to set up the organization chart of each department to tackle the menace and spoils of the present educational system that has emerged as an entity with unquestionable underground practices and customs and no one to question its supremacy in implementing its will with impunity and making the students as its subservient in every step of its activities.
The Tribunals should have enough teeth to punish the guilty and providing speedier justice to the students as well as to the Institutes, in case unscrupulous cases are filed against them out of prejudice or influenced by the external forces inimical to the growth and interest of an institution.
Further, making the admission procedures transparent and appointing honest and dedicated officials in the selection procedure of faculties, infrastructure and also supervising the examination and curtailing the malpractices with an iron hand.
Nowadays, there is a belief that any influential person can approach the higher level educational and technical institutions through the network of politicians and their nexus with officials working therein to shower the favours to the wards of influential people in our society. But, the nation has to suffer a lot if such students are offered jobs in sensitive technical institutions on the basis of the certificates obtained from a reputed educational establishment without testing their actual knowledge and ability in the fields where they are certified with merit as successful in view of the higher connections of their parents and also influencing the officials with money power or political influence.
Our country has to take all precautions to see that our traditional and reputed Universities are not just taken over by the foreign universities in view of their image and reputation at international level. While encouraging the foreign universities, it is our bounden duty to upgrade our Universities and ask them to follow the paths and procedures adopted in the working of well known foreign universities which may set up their campus in our country. Further, it has to be seen that the students hailing from middle class and poor sections of the society are given adequate support and incentives by the Government to compete with the students of well-off sections and as such it is the responsibility of the Government of India to see that the youth of this country is provided with equitable opportunities so as to make it as a welfare model state.
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