MHRD

The Government is likely to introduce two major reforms bills of HRD Ministry (MHRD) before cabinet including a bill to allow entry and operation of foreign education providers and also on setting up educational tribunals in the country. The foreign education bill is a long- awaited reform that would bring positive changes in country’s education system.  

Realizing that the states alone can not shoulder the responsibility of catering for the much needed resources for improving higher education in the country, the government has decided to propose a few legislations. These will be aimed at encouraging participation of private bodies in education and together working towards improving the higher education scenario.

Owing to lack of sufficient number of government schools in the state the Ministry of Human resource and Development has decided to alter its Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) scheme, for universalisation of secondary education in Bengal. Instead of funding all government aided schools which are less than five percent in the state the MHRD will now select and fund some privately run, government aided schools.

Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal while addressing the 92nd convocation of the Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi said that the government is planning to create an educational panel that will act as a tribunal to handle the legal cases in private sector. The panel will help in to settle legal disputes related to the private sector institutions.

Addressing the 92nd convocation of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), HRD Minister Kapil Sibal spoke at length about the various changes the Indian education system is undergoing at present, terming them as a ‘revamp’ of the entire system. He also spoke of how he envisions India becoming a knowledge power in the decade to come.

A major boost to educational sector is in the offing as the government has proposed to set up a finance corporation to establish educational institutions. Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said that the role of National Education Finance Corporation (NEFC) the government is planning to set up is not only to provide loans for infrastructure development and expansion of institutions but also to refinance loans for students.

Having received lot of negative publicity from the racist attacks in the country on foreign students, Australia has done a serious rethink. With an intention of reviving the quality of education it was known for in the past and helping its education industry to recover from the pitfalls, the Australian government has announced a new approach to enhance the quality of education.

Having accepted all the demands of the HRD ministry (MHRD) related to the grants for funding the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the 13th Finance Commission has gone ahead and allocated Rs 24,068 crore for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA); thus, making it obvious that it sees the SSA as the primary means to proper implementation of the RTE act.

In the first ever conference of its kind, the All India Organization of Imams of Mosques, saw unanimity in the opinion that modern education was the only means to bring about the much required social change among Muslims in India. Citing it as a tool for upliftment of the community, the organization which represents over half a million imams will soon come up with a charter of demands to present to the HRD minister Kapil Sibal.

Warding off all apprehensions raised by the Tamil Nadu government in this regard, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, D Purandeswari made it clear that the proposed National Council for Higher Education and Research (NCHER) would in no way intrude into the state autonomy of appointing vice chancellors.