Over 27,000 institutes of higher learning needed: Sibal

More than 27,000 additional institutions of higher learning would be required to meet the targeted Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 30 percent for 2020, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said here Saturday.

"This figure includes 14,000 colleges of general higher education, 12,775 additional technical and professional institutions and 269 additional universities," Sibal said in a presentation during the meeting of the consultative committee for the HRD ministry here Saturday.

While addressing the MPs present at the meeting, Sibal asked for their collaboration in education, so that India can become a world power by 2020.

"Issues raised by the MPs included whether adequate regulatory framework was being envisaged for private participation in the education sector. Whether the government was envisaging an SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) type large scale programme for the higher education sector also, whether foreign universities, if allowed to come to India would be making profit, and whether steps had been taken to incentivise people to enter the teaching profession," according to an official statement.

The MPs also expressed concern on the inadequate numbers of faculty in state universities and colleges and on the proliferation of technical institutions.

Responding to the concerns, Sibal assured the MPs that the mandate of the proposed overarching body in higher education would be enforcing quality and good governance procedures in higher education institutions.

He underlined that the regulatory framework would be enforced for higher education and clarified that financial constraints would not allow the central government to have an SSA type programme for the country in higher education.

The minister noted that besides the additional spending by the central government for building new central universities, and degree colleges in educationally backward districts, the state governments will also themselves have to look for private investment.

Sibal stated that when foreign universities come to India they would not be allowed to make profits through tuition fees. He stated that India needs to set up a world class institute in humanities.

Some of the MPs who attended the meeting were Chinta Mohan, Jagdanand Singh, Ganeshrao N. Dudhgaonkar, M. Thambi Durai, Prem Das Rai, Madan Lal Sharma, Bijayanta 'Jai' Panda, Rama Devi, Sucharu Ranjan Haldar, Ranjan Prasad Yadav, Vasanthi Stanley, Kapila Vatsyayan and Prabhakar Kore.

Last updated on Nov 7^th, 2009 at 21:53 pm IST--IANS