Minorities education not covered in Plan panel paper

At Thursday8217;s meeting of the Planning Commission to finalise the 11th Plan paper on education sector...

At Thursday8217;s meeting of the Planning Commission to finalise the 11th Plan paper on education sector, HRD Minister Arjun Singh will have a strong observation to make8212;that there is no specific allocation for the sector for the PM8217;s 15-point programme for minorities. The meeting will be chaired by the Prime Minister.

Sources told The Indian Express that Singh will raise the issue that while the Planning Commission8217;s note details the allocation for the PM8217;s new initiatives like eight new IITs, seven new IIMs and 30 Central universities, it doesn8217;t mention a word on the country8217;s flagship programme on minorities8217; education.

The Plan panel8217;s note gives a detailed institution-wise financial allocation8212;under the sub-head 8220;PM8217;s initiatives8221;8212;for the 11th Five-Year Plan 2007-2012: Rs 1,000 crore for the new IITs; Rs 300 crore for the IIMs; Rs 900 crore for three new IISERs; Rs 2,000 crore for 16 new Central universities in uncovered states; and another Rs 2,800 crore for 14 new world-class Central universities.

The HRD Minister, the sources said, was going to ask for more funds from the Commission, as the ministry feels the allocations are inadequate. However, Singh is not willing to talk about private investment in higher education, nor will he mention anything about foreign educational institutions coming to India.

The sources said the reason was that there was no consensus or convergence of views on this subject with the Commission.

While the Commission8217;s deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has avoided broaching the issue of private investment or foreign educational institutions directly in the agenda note, the note does make a veiled observation. 8220;Consequent upon the major structural changes during the last 25 years or so in the domestic education system and its growing linkages and involvement with the international education providers, particularly in higher education, the context of higher, professional and technical education has undergone a paradigm shift,8221; it says.

8220;It is, therefore, imperative to assess the changing role that these organisations are expected to perform in the context of global changes, with a view to enabling them to reach out, regulate and maintain the quality and standards of higher, professional and technical education,8221; the note adds, recommending a joint working group of the HRD and Planning Commission to suggest specific reform agenda in this context.

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However, unmoved, the HRD Minister is going to omit mentioning the P-word, except that public private partnership should be explored only in case of setting up 20 new IIITs Indian Institutes of Information Technology.