Cautioning that increase in fee for higher education should not act as obstacles for poor, a Parliamentary Committee on Monday suggested a graded fee structure instead of a flat rate for all.
Higher education needed to be supported by increased allocations by the state in the coming years, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on HRD said in a report, adding that increase in fee, if any, should not act as obstacles for poor, marginalised and meritorious students in having access to higher education.
Emphasising the need for proper policy and mechanism to regulate private participation in the field of higher education, the committee said the government cannot abdicate its responsibility of funding the higher education and education cannot be left to the vagaries of the market.
It called for improvement in the quality of university and higher education so as to face the global challenges. It also felt the need of examination reforms so that the system of 'learning by rote' was replaced by 'learning for joy'.
Strongly advocating a review in the policy for providing deemed university status, the committee has come down heavily on fake universities and recommended bringing of legislation to provide stringent penalties for running fake universities.
The committee suggested a re-look into the existing structure and functioning of the University Grants Commission and renaming it Higher Education Development Commission.
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