| PUNE: A new act will soon be introduced to give more powers to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), said Union minister for human resources development Pallam Raju on Sunday. He was in the city as the chief guest of the 10th convocation ceremony at the Symbiosis International University (SIU).
"We have been working out ways to restore the powers of the AICTE. We had earlier thought of bringing an ordinance to this effect, but then decided to introduce a new act altogether, which will define the powers of the AICTE. Till the new act is formed, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the AICTE will function in a coordinated manner so that the students do not suffer," Raju said.
In an earlier Supreme Court judgment by the bench of judges B S Chauhan and V Gopala Gowda, the AICTE was reduced to an advisory body instead of the regulatory body. Private colleges no longer require permission of the AICTE to open MBA and MCA colleges as they are not technical courses, said the judgment. Although the AICTE had sent a review petition, it was rejected by the apex court, reducing the AICTE to an advisory body.
Speaking about the Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), Raju said that a meeting was recently held in Bangalore where ministers concerned with higher education in different states discussed the matter and decided to implement RUSA in state universities. "Implementing RUSA does not mean that funds allotted to the UGC will reduce. In fact, funds allotted to RUSA will be additional," he said.
In the afternoon, Raju inaugurated the state-of-the-art Institute of Engineering, Management and Research by D Y Patil Pratishthan in Akurdi.
On the condition of higher education in the country, Raju said the ministry's focus will be on increasing the gross enrolment ratio (GER) by 2030 and make higher education accessible to everyone. He said, "The ministry is planning expansion of the higher education domain in the country. In the next Five Year Plan, as many as 51 new institutes for higher education would be set up. Despite all the major changes, we will make sure that the quality of education is not compromised during the process."
Raju further stressed on the need for inculcating values through education. "Institutes must educate students about the importance of secularism, humanity and non-violence," he said.
Raju said that quality research work in the field of education is possible only through collaborations. "There should be collaborations with national and international education institutions for better results. Collaborations between industries and educational institutes are also important for improved research work. It would help develop need-based higher education system in the country. In fact, students should aspire to become entrepreneurs and create new jobs," he said.
During the convocation ceremony, as many as 4,577 students were conferred with undergraduate, postgraduate, diplomas and PhD degrees in various disciplines like law, management, computer studies, health sciences, media, communication and design, humanities and social sciences.
Eminent historian and author Ramachandra Guha and social reformist Shobhana Ranade were awarded with Doctor of Literature (LittD) degrees at the ceremony. S B Mujumdar, founder and president of Symbiosis and chancellor of the SIU, congratulated Guha and Ranade. |