The Opposition CPI(M) in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday lashed out at the state’s education regulator for “becoming a proxy body” of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and his BJP government.
Party leader Tikender Panwar said here that it was “shocking” that a recent meeting of the HP Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission (HPPEIRC) was chaired by Dhumal instead of the body’s chairperson.
The CPI(M) questioned the wisdom for such a commission when it was “serving the government’s interests” and has “till date not penalised any institution a single penny despite rampant violations of the norms” in these private universities.
“It seems the cat is out of the bag now. All euphoria the government created by guaranteeing quality education and deputing HPPEIRC to monitor the state’s private universities stands belied,” Panwar told reporters here.
He alleged the government was selling out education, particularly higher education, thus ensuring maximum profits for the private educational shops. “These varsities and the government are, thus, playing with the careers of the youth and the money of their guardians.”
There have been instances where the private universities illegally admitted students with class 10 qualification for five-year integrated courses in engineering and management, he alleged. “This, when the students should have passed class 12.” The CPI(M) demanded the government and the varsity managements to return the money so earned, and pay compensation to the ‘victim’ students.
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The party also alleged “large-scale admissions” in the Phd course, despite the varsities having a “dearth of faculty as guides”.
The HPPEIRC, he said, had violated the basic mandate that states, “It shall be the duty of the commission to ensure that standards of admissions, teaching examination, research , extension programme, qualified teachers.... In [the] case of failure of educations institutions to meet the standards laid down , the commission shall have the power to penalise the educational institutions under section 11 of the Act and in case of successive failure of an institution to meet the standards, the commission may recommend to the state government/ regulatory body for the winding up of the institution.”
Panwar said the functioning of the commission had shelved the mandate and has worked in consonance with the state government’s “whims”. The party asked the commission to be more responsive and act in the interests of the state and the students. The last four years have seen a dozen private universities being set up across the hill state.
Currently, another dozen are in the pipeline. Even the ruling BJP’s own student body, the ABVP, recently flayed the “random opening up” of universities, calling it a front for real-estate business. Critics point out loopholes in the current system which allows these private varsities to be closed down after 25 years and use the land for any other business the owners wish.
The state cabinet has given most of these universities a special permission to buy land in rural areas to set up educational institutions.