New law for higher education sector must: Panel

Seema Kaul

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 26

Recommending Higher Education Management Act (HEMA), the TSR Subramanian-chaired panel for evolving a new education policy has said this was a must for “comprehensive promotion and stimulation” of the higher education sector.

Pointing out that state governments and the Centre have established universities and institutes of higher education through legislation and executive orders, the panel says new developments in the higher education sector have made it necessary to update and review the mandate of these institutions.

With the proposed HEMA, “separate legislations governing individual agencies will lapse and the new legal regime will assign fresh roles to the existing bodies, redefine their roles and nomenclature and facilitate coordination and cooperation between them.

“The AICTE and UGC both regulate universities, but there is no regulator for distance education. There is no clear cut-procedure for foreign universities to come in,” Subramanian told the Tribune. He said the new law would simplify and define procedures and roles to be carried out by every higher education agency.

“The number of students and colleges have increased exponentially since the UGC and AICTE were set up, making it necessary to define and reassign the roles of both regulators. There is also a lot of litigation because of the multiplicity of agencies,” he said, adding that several executive and legislative orders pertaining to colleges and universities had been challenged in courts because of the gaps.

Explaining the need for the new law, he said it would “recommend curricula for different types of academic courses, particularly in new areas of knowledge. It will create a legal framework for setting up independent testing and accrediting agencies. It will also lay down the framework for financing universities and educational institutions.”

Until the enactment of the new law, the existing agencies would continue to perform their roles and necessary reforms should be introduced in the interim period, Subramanian added.