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Centre planning law on foreign varsities

Special Correspondent

Legislation to be introduced when there is consensus
Right to Education Bill to be tabled in current session

NEW DELHI: Seeking the participation of all stakeholders to improve the educational system, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday told the Rajya Sabha that the government was contemplating alegislation to allow foreign universities into the country. He, however, added this would be done only after there wasconsensus on the issue.

Replying to a question and related supplementaries during question hour, Mr. Sibal said India needed to become a world class educational hub, for which it required access to global institutions.

“I hope to send the Foreign University Bill to the Cabinet. The Bill will be brought to Parliament whenever there is consensus on the matter,” he said.

Responding to members’ concerns on the primary education sector, he said the Bill on the Right to Education would be introduced in the current session.

With members complaining about the functioning of deemed universities, he said his Ministry was constantly reviewing the situation and had ordered a freeze on fresh grants. It had set up a committee to see whether UGC norms and other guidelines were being followed.

As many as 62 deemed universities have sprung up in the last five years.

“These universities are flourishing. The government has no problem on commercialisation as long as the institutions are providing excellent education,” he said.

The government would act on the findings of the committee, which is looking into the functioning of deemed universities. “As and when we come across shortfalls, we will deal with them.”

The government had to move with “consensus” and could not set a time frame to carry out reforms. However, it can give a commitment on making the country an education hub. At the same time, he sought to clarify that deemed universities could use the word ‘university’ as long as they notified the government order, which allowed them to do so. They have been allowed to remove “deemed” from their name and identify themselves as universities, he said.

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