Need for strong bill to regulate pvt professional institutions: RS Member

Updated on: Sunday, August 14, 2011

Contending that the proposed legislations on higher education lack teeth, a CPI(M) member demanded in the Rajya Sabha a strong bill to regulate private professional institutions and deemed universities.

Moving a private member's resolution, K N Balagopal observed that institutes are doing business in the name of education.

He said the legislation should ensure equal opportunity to all sections of society in education.

A bill seeking to set up tribunals, for disposal of educational related disputes, is pending in Parliament. Besides, the HRD ministry proposes to introduce in the current session a bill to check unfair practices in the field.

"I am aware about the tribunal bill and the unfair practices bill, but they lack provisions to check high fees and commercialisation. There is no provision in the tribunal bill to decide about fee structure in colleges," Balagopal said.

He also demanded that there should be a regulator to fix fees and admission criteria. The regulator should also fix the reservation criteria.

Members from different parties including JD (U), BSP and BJD supported Balagopal's resolution.

Expressing concern over exorbitant capitation fees in private educational institutions, the members from these parties asked the government to bring an effective legislation to check exploitation of students.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Ind) voiced concern over growing commercialisation of education.

"Many private educational institutions have become multi-brand wholesale shops charging huge sum of money from students," he said.

Pramod Kureel (BSP) said the objective of educational institutions in the private sector is to earn huge profits.

He said that in these institutions reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes (OBC) is not being strictly followed.

Anil Kumar Sahani (JD-U) said a large number of seats of SC/ST/OBC are remaining vacant.

He demanded strengthening of educational institutions in the government sector itself so that more students from the poor section could be enrolled.

Mangala Kisan (BJD) said that due to paucity of educational set up in the government sector, private institutions are mushrooming across the country.

The debate remained inconclusive.

Need for strong bill to regulate pvt professional institutions: RS Member

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