The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has released its latest recommendations with some useful ideas and proposals. The recommendations have been widely acclaimed and welcomed by one and all and in particular by the Union Finance Minister Mr.P.Chidambaram himself. According to him, education is the key to better economy.
He applauded the ‘The National Knowledge Commission’s’ recommendation for the setting up of an Independent Regulatory for Higher Education.
According to the Finance Minister, the recommendations are deserved to be accepted and implemented immediately as it would accord degree granting power to universities and monitor standards.The alumni can also make the education totally free by endowment funds.By building an endowment fund through alumni contributions and other donations,the cost of educating every student admitted to an institution is possible.The suggestion is practical and cannot be dismissed as impossible.
The Nation required a large proportion of its children to go for higher education.The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of school leaving children admitted to a college or university in developed countries is 54 %, while the world average if 23.2 % and in India it is 11.6 %
Despite of producing a number of graduates and post-graduates, their number is woefully short for the requirements of a fast growing economy.Even quality standards are required to promote efficiency. India’s immediate goal should be to raise the GER to 15 % by the end of the 11 th Five year planning and then to 21 % by 2017.
In a developing economy it is difficult to provide, ‘education of choice’ to every student, because there are limitations of institutions, courses, seats and funds. But every child should be provided with access to education and greater democratization of the system, through reservations for ST and SC and economically backward, through scholarships and education loans and by other means.
The education system is challenged at different levels. And some 7.6 million children have no opportunity for education. In Uttar pradesh, some 7,50,000 children between the age of five and six are not enrolled. At the primary school level, the agenda is complex and long.
To meet the shortcomings the Government has designed the Sarva Shiksha Abiyan, in which around Rs 1,951 crores has been spent by the centre for the year 2003-2004 and for the current year the outlay is Rs 13,100 crores.
The Finance Minister emphasized the above aspects in education, in the course of his convocation address in Women’s Christian College, Chennai.
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