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Journalism of Courage
The National Knowledge Commission headed by Sam Pitroda wanted to cut the red tape in the higher education sector. Having gone through the NKC8217;s recommendations, the Human Resource Development Ministry has come up with its own measure: another layer of bureaucracy to 8220;coordinate8221; higher education regulatory bodies.
In January, the NKC had proposed an Independent Regulatory Authority for Higher Education IRAHE that would improve on the current regulatory system in higher education, which it said was flawed, with 8220;barriers to entry too high, system of authorising entry is cumbersome, there is a multiplicity of regulatory agencies where mandates are both confusing and overlapping8212;the system, as a whole, is over-regulated but under-governed8221;.
The NKC8217;s recommendations were forwarded to the HRD Ministry. Six months down the line, the HRD ministry has chosen to shoot down the proposal and instead come up with a measure that is likely to aggravate the problem of multiplicity of regulatory bodies. The ministry has argued against the NKC8217;s single regulatory agency, saying that the current bodies are 8220;different in scope and activity8221;.
Instead, it feels, there should be a 8220;National Commission on Higher Education8221;, which will be an over-arching organisation to coordinate the regulatory organisations.
The HRD Ministry has circulated a cabinet note to the ministries concerned with higher education8212;Health and Agriculture8212;for their views on the matter. The ministry has proposed that the commission should be established through an act of legislation, mirroring the suggestion of the NKC that the IRAHE be established through an Act of Parliament.
Sources told The Indian Express that HRD Minister Arjun Singh approved the proposal before it was circulated among other ministries for consideration.
