This refers to the editorial "A step in the right direction" (Jan. 21). All those who have been watching with a heavy heart the rapid decline in educational standards, as a result of commercialisation, would whole-heartedly welcome the Centre's move to act against the Deemed-to-be-Universities that have not met the prescribed standards and norms.
I only hope the government will sustain its drive to stem the rot in higher education. The Ministry of Human Resource Development should stick to its decision and go forward with a missionary zeal to bring about systemic changes in professional education.
D. Samuel Lawrence,
Madurai
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As an academic who has a firsthand experience of the educational system in three countries – the U.S., the U.K. and India – I congratulate The Hindu on commenting on an important issue of higher education. The editorial was timely and served a much-needed cause.
The Centre has taken a baby step in the right direction to refine the higher education system in India. Efforts must be made by all stakeholders to make universities what they are supposed to be. A good number of institutes that have mushroomed in the recent past have made minimum to nil contributions to research and outreach. On the education front, a majority suffers from infrastructure and personnel shortfalls. Regulatory bodies have failed in their mission by not providing quality guidance and have predominantly served as red-tape entities.
Seshadri Ramkumar,
Lubbock, Texas
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Better late than never. The government should have taken the much-needed step and cleansed the higher education system long ago. All higher educational councils should be thoroughly reviewed for their utility since many of them are beset with rampant corruption. If the Centre bows to pressure and deviates from the right direction now, we will never be able to provide world class professional education to our students.
G. Kulandaivelu,
Panruti
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Gone are the days when educational institutions of excellence were established by industrial houses and philanthropists to provide higher learning at affordable charges.
Education today stands totally ommercialized and gullible parents and wards are being fleeced. One wonders how the government was oblivious to the state of affairs in the so-called deemed universities all these years.
R. Thirumalai Muthu,
Kallidaikurichi
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The MHRD's move is welcome. It will improve technical educational in India, which is one of the biggest providers of technical manpower in the world. This will be an eye-opener for those who see educational institutions as a way of making money.
S. Masud Hussain,
Kollam
Although HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has said that the move to scrap the deemed universities status of 44 institutions will not affect the students, it does shake student confidence.
V. Vijayendra Rao,
Neyveli
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The deficiencies of deemed/private universities are well known. They are run more as lucrative businesses than educational institutions. But what is important now is to avoid panic. It would be better if the offending institutions were taken to task one by one over a period of time. This will make other colleges fall in line. Also, only a small number of students will be affected at a time.
S. Arunajatesan,
Chennai
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The rate at which “deemed” universities were cropping up was an indication that something fishy was going on. It is fortunate that the mode of operation of these institutions has been discovered and the necessary action initiated.
P.U. Krishnan,
Udhagamandalam
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The move will surely affect higher education. Those who resorted to various means to secure the status did so at the expense of students. Now that the government has decided to act, again it is the student community that is worried about its future.
R. Sooraj Mon,
Thiruvalla
