PMO pushes for full academic reforms

With the Prime Ministers Office pitching in for academic reforms for all higher educational institutes...

With the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) pitching in for academic reforms for all higher educational institutes,there is now hope for quality education across universities. The PMO has written to the HRD Ministry,asking it to implement the whole series of academic reforms outlined in the Central Universities Bill,2008 across all higher education institutes.

Section 6 (2) of the Central Universities Bill,2008 delineates a series of provisions to ensure an all-India character and high quality teaching and research in the 16 new central universities to be set up under the legislation. These include provisions like admissions of students and faculty on an all-India basis with a merit-based common entrance examination for student admissions conducted either individually by universities or in combination with other varsities. That apart,inter-University mobility of faculty,with portable pensions and protection of seniority,introduction of a semester system,continuous evaluation and choice-based credit system,inter-university agreements for credit transfer and joint degree programmes besides innovative courses with a provision for periodic review and restructuring are provided for in the Bill.

To ensure more accountability in the varsities,evaluation of teachers by students as well and e-governance and accreditation of varsities from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council or any other accrediting agency at the national level have also been incorporated in the Bill. The PMO has written to the HRD Ministry saying that this set of academic reforms should be implemented across all existing universities as well.

PMOs push for academic reforms in the higher education system has further given weightage to recommendations of the department related Parliamentary Standing Committee,which has also called for extending the academic reforms across all higher education institutes. The PMOs directions will also help expedite the reform guidelines that the University Grants Commission (UGC) is working on.

The Committee takes note of variety of innovative measures encompassing all conceivable quality aspects of academic programmes as well as better service conditions for teaching community envisaged in this clause. While welcoming these path-breaking innovative measures,the Committee would like to point out that such a provision should find place in all the Acts governing Central Universities. The Committee,therefore,recommends that necessary action may be taken accordingly, the Parliamentary committee had said.

The Central Universities Bill,2008 was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2008,but could not be passed by Parliament. With an aim to start the 12 Central universities and upgrade another three,the Union Cabinet last week had approved that the legislation be allowed to take the Ordinance route so it is implemented in time for the next academic session.