H R Bhardwaj: UGC, AICTE have become Obsolete

H R Bhardwaj, the Karnataka’s Governor and Chancellor of Universities has said that India needs more private industry participation in the education sector. While criticizing the regulatory bodies, including the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC), he said they have become “almost defunct now”.

 The government should progressively upgrade the existing system. In almost 27 universities in Karnataka, there is shortage of faculty where they are working with about 40 per cent strength. The rest is not being filled up and the government is saying it has no money. If private players have the resources, there is no reason why they should not be allowed to establish universities, he added.

The hindu reports that, while speaking at a national conference on “Scarcity to plenty – roadmap for Indian higher education at 2025” organised by the Education Promotion Society for India (EPSI) he suggested that a western model where universities are run with help from endowments and charities be followed in the country.

further, he showed concern for the quality of legal education. The Governor, who was a lawyer and a Union Law Minister, said the quality of lawyers being produced has deteriorated.