AIFUCTO accuses govt. of promoting privatisation of education in the name of 'reforms'

Mangalore, June 26: Reforms in higher education proposed by the government are aimed at promoting private-funded education at the cost of public (government) funded education, alleged A James William, President of All India Federation of University and College Teachers' Organisations (AIFUCTO).

Addressing teachers at a convention on higher education here on Sunday, Mr William said the Centre had proposed introducing various Bills on higher education for reforming the sector. They were Bills for establishing the national commission for higher education and research, for creating universities for innovation, for entry and operation of foreign education providers, and for creating an independent accreditation authority and for setting up an education tribunal.

Mr. William said statements such as standard of higher education in the country was not up to the mark and syllabi should be revised so that students learnt job skills that were aimed at promoting private sector in higher education.

Mr. William said Indians had proved themselves as capable doctors in the United States, scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and engineers with the Microsoft.

He said if the Indian higher education was not up to the mark, how could graduates and postgraduates from India prove their efficiency abroad?

Mr. William said higher education sector had become a hot cake now. “Now it has become a commodity. This is the paradigm shift in higher education.”

Referring to the proposed Bills on higher education, he said: “The Union government is creating legal framework to establish that higher education is a commodity.”

Mr. William said higher education should create social values.

He said the college teachers deserved the revised pay scale of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Ganesh Karnik, MLC, said if the State government was to spend Rs. 1,000 crore for paying arrears of the revised UGC pay scale to college teachers, then the government would have to think over it as it was a huge amount.

Association of Mangalore University College Teachers (AMUCT) had organised the convention. A bulletin of AMUCT for June was released on the occasion.

Spardhathmaka Arthashasthra, a book written by Prabhakar Shishila, a lecturer at Nehru Memorial College, Sullia, was released on the occasion.

AMUCT president Ummappa Poojary P. welcomed the gathering.