Making a strong pitch for educational reforms, the newly-appointed Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard University (JHU) on Monday said that multiple regulatory bodies were a “major hindrance” in this sector. Habil Khorakiwala, who has been named the new JHU Chancellor, said educational institutes bound by a maze of regulations cannot achieve excellence.
“One educational institute that is bound by so many regulations cannot achieve excellence. The Government needs to focus on giving them the freedom to innovate and research,” he said, adding that although reforms are being initiated in other sectors, education has largely been left out.
“liberalisation, reforms are taking place and education is all the more relevant. Academic excellence and knowledge have assumed importance like never before,” said Khorakiwala, who is also the Chairman of Wockhardt Group.
Echoing his views, JHU Vice-Chancellor GN Qazi said that “extensive control” by the regulatory councils is coming in the way of the growth of institutions.“Our student strength today stands at 9,000 but could have been at least 20,000 if not for the extensive regulations,” he said.
He cited the example of the Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, which cannot admit more than 100 students a year as per MCI guidelines despite having the requisite infrastructure in place.
Khorakiwala stressed on the need to make regulatory bodies “more scientific” and “less administrative” in nature, adding that he will come out with a “position paper” in this regard after consulting other institutes. “The regulatory mechanisms have to be more scientific than administrative in nature. I will try to work out a position paper after consulting other institutes before placing our demands before the government”, he said.
Established in 1989, the Delhi-based Jamia Hamdard (Deemed) University offers courses in pharmaceutical sciences, nursing, engineering, management and social sciences.Khorakiwala, who was selected by a search committee formed according to central guidelines governing deemed universities, will be the JHU Chancellor for the next five years.