… but adds no compromise in quality

Inaugurating the two-day National Conference on ‘‘Deemed to be Universities: Role and Responsibilities’’ here today, he, however, added a word of caution:‘‘this should be done without compromising on the quality of teaching and education.’’

Singh has been facing heavy flak for the quota announcement for about a month now, on the grounds that it would lead to deterioration of standards in the premier academic institutions of excellence like IITs, IIMs and AIIMS.

He, however, reiterated, that ‘‘there are concerns about issues of access, quality, equity and relevance in the education sector and Deemed universities have an important role to play in this regard’’.

Singh said,‘‘We have nearly 350 universities and equivalent institutions and well over 17,000 colleges but less than only 10 per cent of youth have access to higher education. This figure does not convincingly tell us about the deprivation of those who are marginalized,’’ he emphasised, giving a push to the agenda of reservations for the socially and economically backward sections.

Referring to the issues to be discussed in the two-day meet, Singh said issues of governance of institutions were as relevant as issues of achieving academic excellence. ‘‘Autonomy in institutions in relation to the government is as critical as autonomy of academics in relation to the governance structures within institutions,’’ he said.

He said the ultimate objective driving managements should be ‘‘delivering high quality education, which is accessible and affordable to all’’ on a par with the best anywhere.

Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Prof. Sukhdeo Thorat called upon the participants to deliberate on the subjects threadbare as they were important for the nation engaged in the use of higher education as a powerful tool to build a knowledge-based society of the 21st century.

Additional Secretary in the HRD ministry, K M Acharya and Prof. Mool Chand Sharma, Secretary, UGC, also spoke on the occasion. The conference is being attended by about 200 Chancellors and Vice Chancellors/Directors of the institutions declared as Deemed Universities.