Vice President Hamid Ansari has urged for a strong regulatory mechanism in the education sector where several private organisations are entering for the past decade. Citing several instances, he said a Bill in this regard was pending in Parliament since 2005 due to the stiff opposition from various political parties and private players.
"Yet, the private providers in higher education have largely grown in States and in a policy vacuum. A Bill to regulate the establishment of private universities, introduced in Parliament in 2005, was shelved after opposition from various political parties and private players. Given these limitations and keeping in mind the egalitarian objectives of our polity, there is a need for an effective and transparent regulatory mechanism that can encourage private investment in improving the quality of State universities, starting skills development courses and capacity development of faculty. These regulations need to be strong to ensure that private universities are well governed and provide quality education," said Ansari.
The Vice President was speaking on the occasion of release of the book 'The Education President', held at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Wednesday. The first copy of the book was presented to President Pranab Mukherjee by the Vice President. Congress leader Naveen Jindal, the publisher of the book was also present on the occasion.