Yechury calls for new body to regulate private educational institutions

Updated on: Monday, June 28, 2010

The Centre should enact a law to establish a regulatory body to bring all private educational institutions under its control, said CPI (M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury.

Addressing a Save Education Conference organised by his party in Chennai, Mr. Yechury said regulatory body should address four important issues: an admission policy ensuring reservation for backward and weaker sections, fee structure on a par with government institutions, fair salary for teachers and a syllabus reflecting the national character.

There was a need to maintain a balance among three factors — equity, quantity and quality till universal education was achieved in India. Quantity could be achieved by greater investment in education by the government, equity by implementation of reservation in both government and private educational institutions. Quality, he said, could be achieved only if there was a control over the nature of education provided in private institutions. As regards using mother tongue as medium of instruction, he said mother tongue was the instinct with which one could express oneself and the instinct formed the foundation for the process of learning. “If the instinct is removed the process of learning is handicapped. Lay the foundation on mother tongue and build on that for higher education,” he said appreciating the state unit of the party for supporting education in the mother tongue.

Later talking to reporters he came down upon the Congress-led UPA government for hiking the price of petroleum products.

“The hike will add to the food inflation. Rationalise the tax structure and withdraw the price hike,” he said, adding that the Left parties were talking to other secular-democratic parties on organising a nationwide agitation.

When asked about extradition of Warren Anderson, former CEO of Union Carbide, he wondered why did the government allowed him to leave the country in the first place 25 years ago. “Now he is retired and gone, he said.

Mr. Yechury said since India was keen on strategic relationship with the U.S., it could put pressure on Dow Chemicals to remove the toxic waste in Bhopal. In this context he recalled the way US President Barack Obama had handled the oil spill caused by the British Petroleum.

CPI(M) State secretary G. Ramakrishnan explained how the Indian Bank Employees Association, CITU and a few party workers were running schools with the objective of providing education to the weaker sections.

Former Vice-Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University Vasanthi Devi said the next class war would be fought in the field of education, as the present system was ensuring good education only to the children of rich people.

Yechury calls for new body to regulate private educational institutions

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