Edu-leaders

Several Members of Parliament (MPs) have suggested the setting up of a centrally-run college by the Centre in every district of the country on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalayas or Navodaya Vidyalayas.

The suggestion came up at a meeting of the Consultative Committee of Parliament of the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry. HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and other officials of the ministry were also present at the meeting.

At the meeting, the MPs raised concerns over the poor teacher-student ratio in colleges and the declining standards of college education. They also said that the expansion of higher education should not result in a heightened rural/urban and rich/poor divide.

Apart from this, they also expressed unhappiness over the Bangalore-based National Assessment and Accreditation Council having no branches which causes inconvenience among people.

The MPs also said that a number of seats in various engineering colleges in the country remain vacant every year and that some states have more engineering colleges than needed.

Sibal, addressing the concerns of the MPs, said that the ministry has asked the AICTE to write to the respective state governments where there is a surplus of vacant seats and ask them if it should recognise more engineering colleges from these states. “A common entrance test for engineering institutions is being envisaged which seeks to give greater and more equitable access to all,” added the minister.