UGC Members lashes out at commercialization of Education

‘Permit arts and Science colleges to start technology courses’

Coimbatore: Educationists from the ‘Colleges with Potential for Excellence’ (CPE) should raise their voice against commercialization of education, the Bill for setting up of private universities and the entry of foreign universities into the country, K.Ramamurthy naidu, member of the University Grants Commission (UGC), said here on Thursday.

Addressing a two –day workshop of college principals and representatives on the theme “Review and Progression of CPE Colleges”, at the PSG College of Arts and Science, he said that the aim of the UGC was provide quality higher education through the implementation of its 80 schemes. The participants were from the 47 colleges all over India that had been given CPE status under Phase I of the scheme of the UGC under Tenth Plan in September 2004.

The workshop was organized under the aegis of the UGC to given an opportunity to the colleges to share their experience and make a review of their progress in the last three years.

“We have tried to enhance and maintain quality by establishing the National Eligibility Test, establishing autonomous colleges, National Accreditation and Assessment Council, centres of excellence and by export of higher education. But this alone will not ensure good quality standards in education. It should be seen to that education does not go into the hands of unworthy people. It should go back into the hands of Philanthropists as it used to be before,” he said.

“With 371 universities 18,000 colleges and 1.2 Crore students, our Gross Enrolment Ratio is a poor 9 per cent as compared to 14 per cent in developing and 80 percent in developed countries. Out of the 18,000 colleges, only 6,000 are members of the UGC. Under the Phase I of the CPE scheme we have included 47 colleges. They are completing three years. This workshop will help them and the UGC to come out with the benefits and shortcoming of the scheme and fine-tune it,” Prof. Naidu said.

Joint Secretary of the UGC K. Gunasekaran urged the representative to understand the concept of excellence in all perspectives. “We have identified another 50 colleges to be included in the scheme under Phase II. The UGC team has reviewed 30 out of the 47 colleges and the balance amount of the respective grants amounting to Rs.35 lakh and 1 crore has been distributed. There have been certain problems in implementing the scheme, but we set it right by deliberating upon it. We have to work as partners in the pursuit of excellence in education,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor of Bharathiar University G. Thiruvasagam urged the UGC to permit arts and science colleges to start technology courses, to relax rules in giving visas to foreign students who want to study in India, to make teacher training compulsory for colleges to change curriculum once in two years and to indicate action in setting up a Education Finance Development Corporation to enable to borrow money at low or no interest for enhancing their facilities.

UGC Members lashes out at commercialization of Education

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