The country's education system is set for a total revamp with the new HRD minister, Kapil Sibal, planning to put in place a process to bring in transparency and accountability in institutions and curb unethical practices, including capitation fees. 'I am going to restructure the complete education system in the country. We need to restructure the system so that we do not need to go through the punitive routes,' told HRD Minister Kapil Sibal. There has to be 'corrective steps with human face,' he said against the backdrop of a raging controversy over huge capitation fees being demanded by professional colleges from students, including one medical college said to be run by a Union Minister from Tamil Nadu.
The measures under the revamping process will include expansion, access to quality education for all sections of society and review of the procedure for grant of 'Deemed-to-be -University' status. The new mechanism will also have steps to check capitation fees by professional colleges and setting up of a national council for higher education as a regulatory body. On reports of two Tamil Nadu-based institutions allegedly demanding huge capitation fees, Sibal said the ministry will 'rethink' the process under which institutions are given the 'Deemed-to-be-University' status and will set up a committee to review the functioning of the existing ones.
