Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Oct 23:Union Human Resource Development Minister, Kapil Sibal, today said that his ministry has set up a committee to look into the non-implementation of various centrally-sponsored education schemes (CSES) in Jammu and Kashmir.
While speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function organized by Kashmir Private Colleges Association at South Kashmir district headquarter of Pulwama, Sibal said that there are reports of mismanagement in some of the centrally sponsored educational schemes in the State and his ministry is inquiring into these reports.
“I know that some of the school buildings have not been completed; some are half done and some have been completed. We have set up a committee to look into the problems faced in the implementation of the schemes”, said Sibal.
On the scholarships to students of the State, the Union Minister said that HRD ministry will provide more scholarships to the students of the State to study outside the State in colleges and universities. “However, if these students want to pursue their education in the private colleges of the State I have no objection”, he added.
The Union Minister said that HRD ministry is setting up more Universities in the State in collaboration with the local private educational institutions. He said that the ministry wants growth of the private educational institutions across the country. “Unfortunately the wrong policies of the state government in Jammu and Kashmir have hampered the growth of these educational institutions in the private sector”, he added.
Sibal said private educational institutions have to play a key role in the growth of education in the country. “The HRD ministry has set up a target of 30 per cent enrolment in higher education by 2020 at national level for which private colleges have to play its role”, he added.
“I have set up a national level target of 30 percent enrolment in higher education institutions by 2020. Government institutions alone cannot do it. If we have to achieve this target, private educational institutions will have to play an important role,” he told in his address at Pulwama.
Sibal said that the enrolment in higher education is 19 percent today but it was only 12 percent when he took over as the HRD minister.
The Minister said that enrolment of children in the higher education is the sign of developed nations. “The difference between a developed nation and a developing nation is not the GDP of that country, the difference is not a 14 trillion dollar economy versus a two trillion dollar economy, the difference is the number of children going to higher education institutions,” he said.
Sibal said that the wealth of a nation is produced in universities where students develop ideas which become intellectual property of the country. “The investors later make pilot projects, services and other products from these ideas which are sold in the market,” he added.
The Minister said to increase the enrolment ratio in higher education institutions, the focus had to be on reducing the drop out rate in the schools. “When we will have maximum number of students passing out from schools, the enrolment ratio will increase. We have set a target of 100 per cent retention in schools by 2020,” he added.
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