Govt eases fears over education bill

Updated on: Monday, December 27, 2010

Easing fears of private educational institutions over the proposed Education Tribunal Bill, Higher Education Secretary Vibha Puri Das today clarified that the legislation does not aim to bring more government control over education.

"The purpose of the new legislation (Education Tribunal Bill) is not for the government to be a regulator, but to have a transparent and accountable education system," she said.

The bill proposes to set up a two-tier tribunal to hear the cases of education institutions. However, private institutions criticise the plan, saying that it will only lead to enhanced government control over them.

The secretary made it clear that private institutions should not be working for profit alone.

"Profit should not be the sole aim of educational institutions in a developing country like ours. It is fine if they make profit and put it back into the system. But profit should not be the only aim," Das said.

"Students should not be denied access to higher education just because it is expensive," she added.

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