Medical, agri-education kept outside NCHER ambit

Updated on: Tuesday, September 01, 2009

New Delhi: In a bid to avoid a turf war, the HRD ministry has decided to keep agriculture and medical education outside the scope of the proposed National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER). On Monday, the Central Advisory Board of Education (Cabe) approved the proposal for NCHER. It also approved the setting up of a collegium of eminent academics and experts under NCHER to suggest candidates for the post of vice-chancellor of universities and other top academic and research posts.

While agriculture is a state subject, the ministry of health had expressed its reservations about subsuming of the Medical Council of India into the overarching regulatory body for higher education to the Cabinet Secretary. The health ministry’s objections got stronger after President Pratibha Patil announced that a National Council for Human Resources in Health would be set up as an overarching regulatory body for the health sector to reform the current regulatory framework and enhance supply of skilled personnel. With the six medical councils out of the purview of the proposed body, NCHER will now incorporate regulatory bodies like AICTE, NCTE, UGC and Distance Education Council into its fold.

The Commission will be set up through a constitutional amendment, which will have to be passed by a two-third majority in both the Houses of Parliament. This move will protect the new regulator from political, ideological and bureaucratic interference. Such a move, sources said, will ensure that NCHER does not fall prey to manipulations like the existing regulators have become. Neither will successive governments be able to tinker with the regulator or its powers. It will also ascertain autonomy for the regulator which is essential if it is to perform its duties as the guarantor of quality in the sector.

NCHER will have distinct and separate autonomous units, each of which will have clearly identified responsibilities. These will include policy related functions, regulatory functions, accreditation functions, funding processes, national testing and a collegium for top academic appointments.

The collegium of eminent persons will be set up under NCHER. The ministry in its presentation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had fleshed out the idea of a collegium to ensure that top academic and research appointments are made on merit and are not mere political sinecures. A collegium will allow for greater objectivity in the selection of the vice-chancellors of universities and appointments to academic and research positions. It will be an autonomous body comprising experts and eminent academics. The collegium will suggests names to the government’s search committee. HRD minister Kapil Sibal said the collegium for appointment of vice-chancellors would be set up within the next one year. “The collegium will put forth names for the post of vice-chancellors before the government. If the government rejects it, then the matter will be referred to the collegium again. But there will be no interference from the government side in the appointment,” Mr Sibal said.

At the Cabe meeting, states like West Bengal suggested that state representation and involvement should be guaranteed. The taskforce set up by the ministry to follow up on NCHER will consult the states on this issue. The ministry is hopeful that the Constitution amendment bill will be ready in time for the winter session.

Medical, agri-education kept outside NCHER ambit

More Education news