Kapil Sibal reaches out to Nitin Gadkari

“I seek the active support of your party in the passage of this Bill. I am sure that on enactment of this legislation,the dangers that you refer to of bogus universities affecting the credibility of the education sector in India would be largely removed,” Sibal has written. “…legislations introduced by the Ministry of HRD in Parliament for reform in higher education are pending for approval. These legislations are intended to overhaul the education system to ensure autonomy and accountability without the direct intervention of politics or bureaucracy. I expect that your party will lead the reform agenda by actively supporting the passage of these legislations,” the minister said.

In his letter dated January 28,2012,Gadkari had pointed out how each university was affiliating far too many colleges and that there was a need to restrict the number of affiliated colleges to not more than a hundred,as suggested by the Planning Commission. In a letter dated February 12,he had said there were 12-odd bogus universities operating in the country,endangering the future of enrolled students.

Bills,legislations awaiting passage

* Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical,Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill to empower the Centre to initiate criminal proceedings against private institutes that charge capitation fee or indulge in other unfair practices

* Educational Tribunal Bill to help deal with all disputes between students and institutions,teachers and institutions instead of taking them to civil courts

* National Accreditation Regulatory Authority Bill,2010,to mandate an accreditation and assessment process for every higher education institution to ensure quality

* National Academic Depository Bill to create a national-level database of all academic certifications

* Amendment to National Council for Teacher Education Act,1953

* Amendment to National Institute of Technology Act,1997