Pitroda frowns on V-C appointments

The NKC had raised similar objections on the Central Universities Bill 2008,which was first promulgated by ordinance a month before the Parliament session. Contrary to the NKC recommendation that appointments of VCs to universities should be through peer judgment and the Government should have no direct or indirect role in it,the legislation empowered the Visitor to the varsity to appoint VCs. The NKC had said that the provisions in the proposed legislation represent a danger to autonomy and excellence in higher education and had expressed alarm over the overwhelming control that the legislation vested with the Government. We are not happy with the way things were in the Central Universities Bill,2008 and it is against the spirit of the recommendations we made,Pitroda said.

On the recent rejection of its recommendations by the Central Advisory Board of Education CABE committee chaired by HRD Minister Arjun Singh,Pitroda said the NKC had done it job and people were free to criticize. On the ministry not implementing most of its recommendations,Pitroda said,The implementation has been slow. But we have done our job. Some may like it,some may not. If the recommendations are not implemented,we will remain where we are. It depends on the next government.

He said that there had,nevertheless,been enormous investment in the education sector,an increasing in the number of IITs,IIMs,national universities,schools and expansion of the mid-day meal scheme. From the Right to Education Bill to the use of English language by most states from Grade I,the library networking plan have all worked. Also state governments have been very responsive with as many as six states in the process of setting up their own knowledge commissions for implementation of our recommendations,Pitroda added.