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Universities' group wary of HRD ministry's new
bills
Saturday, October 16, 2010 07:10:05 PM,
IANS
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New Delhi:
The newly-formed Indian Council of Universities (ICU) Saturday
alleged that a series of legislations formulated by the human
resource development (HRD) ministry are not constitutional.
The council includes nearly 60 private, state and central
universities.
"Constitution of India categorically prohibits parliament from
regulating higher education while empowering states to do so,"
said ICU president and vice chancellor of Sikkim Manipal
University Surjit Pabla.
"Parliament can coordinate and determine the standards of higher
education but cannot regulate it. Parliament is even not permitted
to incorporate and wind up universities," he said, expressing
apprehensions over the series of new educational legislations
being brought in by the ministry.
He was speaking to the press after ICU's first meeting, which was
inaugurated by Rajya Sabha MP and chairman of parliamentary
standing committee on human resource development Oscar Fernandes.
Pabla hinted at bills on educational tribunals, prohibition of
unfair practices in technical, medical educational institutions
and universities, national accreditation regulatory authority for
higher educational institutions and foreign educational
institutions (regulation of entry and operation) and national
commission for higher education and research.
"The centre cannot control universities, the sector will grow only
when the regulation is eased," Pabla said.
The members complained that all the stake-holders were not
consulted before the bills were formulated.
"I was also a member of the Yash Pal committee which recommended
reforms (in higher education). It called for regulation, not
controlling the universities," Pabla said.
Among the bills, the council had objections specially on the
education tribunal bill and the National Commission for Higher
Education and Research (NCHER) Bill, 2010.
"All the new higher education bills are urgently required to be
referred to the solicitor general or a committee headed by a
Supreme Court judge or any other competent authority, other than
those are already involved in framing these bills," he said.
There is a need "to check their validity in view of the
constitutional provisions distributing legislative powers related
to higher education among the states and the union government", he
said.
According to Pabla, Fernandes suggested the council to meet the
members of the parliamentary standing committee.
"It was Fernandes' idea that we should seek an audience with the
parliamentary committee, we will be meeting them soon," he said.
"We have also written to the HRD minister and secretary seeking
time to meet them," he added.
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