Cracking down on Deemed Universities

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry, led by a seemingly reformist Kapil Sibal, has faltered in the matter of cracking down on deemed universities that are anything but university. The HRD Ministry had constituted a deemed university review committee to take drastic action against the errant deemed universities that do not deserve deemed university status.  But now the ministry has found it impossible to implement the review committee report because of its serious findings and recommendations! In other words, the ministry would like a milder report — after all, going by a media report, many of the institutions that have come under the review committee scanner have political patronage, especially in southern States. In still other words, Sibal is in no mood to offend the political godfathers of such third-rate institutions aspiring to be universities in a country that is otherwise said to be moving towards becoming a knowledge society. Therefore, the HRD Ministry has asked its own review committee to make ‘‘additional observations’’ so that its earlier report could be diluted and many a political godfather of deemed universities saved. Does not the so-called reformist in Sibal realize that his ministry is being against itself on a very important and decisive count that will have a huge bearing on the health of higher education in the country? Higher education is no joke. THE SENTINEL