PULWAMA, Oct 23: Union Human Resource Development minister Kapil Sibal today said private educational institutions would have to play a key role to achieve the target of 30 per cent enrolment in higher education by 2020 at national level.
“I have set a target of 30 per cent enrolment in higher education institutions by 2020-end. Government-run schools and colleges alone cannot do it. If we have to achieve this target, private educational institutions will have to play an important role,” he told a function here.
When he took over the HRD ministry, the enrolment ratio was only 12 per cent and today it had increased to around 19 per cent, Sibal said.
“The difference between a developed nation and a developing nation is not the GDP, the difference is not a 14 trillion dollar economy versus a two trillion dollar economy, the difference is the number of children going to higher education institutions,” he said.
“The wealth of a nation is produced in universities where students develop ideas which become intellectual property,” the minister said.
“The investors later make pilot projects, services and other products from these ideas which are sold in the market,” he said.
To increase the enrolment ratio in higher education institutions, the focus had to be on reducing the drop out rate from schools, Sibal said.
“When we will have maximum number of students passing out from schools, the enrolment ratio will increase. We have set a target of 100 per cent retention in schools by 2020,” he said.
Sibal said around 19 million students were enrolled in over 600 universities and 35,000 colleges across the country but the number of these institutions would have to be more than doubled for enrolling a targeted 45 million students by 2020.
“The government does not have the resources to create such a huge number of higher education institutions within the next eight to 10 years. This is where the private institutions will come into play,” he said.
Sibal said private education was need of the hour even in Jammu and Kashmir and if anyone was putting obstacles in it, he would fight it not only in the capacity of being a minister but also as an individual.
“I have put several legislations before Parliament which will remove all obstacles in ensuring that education is made more accessible,” he said.
The Minister said while the Lok Sabha had passed two of the bills which would benefit the education of students, the Opposition was becoming an impediment in the Rajya Sabha where the government did not have majority.
“First they don’t allow Parliament to function and then they don’t pass the bills which are good for the students,” he said.
Sibal said his aim was to lessen the ‘Inspector Raj’ for educational institutions.
“What is the need of a government official inspecting the institutions? The bill provides for the institutions to set up a website with complete information about the faculty, insfrastructure, course, fees and other necessary information. If this information is not found correct, then action can be taken by the government,” he said. (AGENCIES)
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