The government intends to have a common examination for undergraduate programmes across the country from 2013 and prepare a common merit list as a part of efforts to improve quality of education,HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said. He also told the Lok Sabha that the government would crack down on fake universities,the practice of taking capitation fee,misleading advertisements and other malpractices regarding for which a bill is being brought. Replying to a debate on a bill to amend the National Institutes of Technology Act,Sibal said the government was keen on improving the quality of education and in this regard world class universities would be set up in the country. The National Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill,2010,which proposes structural changes in such educational establishments and bringing in its ambit the five Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs),was passed by a voice vote later. Talking about the initiatives taken by government to improve the quality of education,Sibal said there was an effort to provide equal opportunities to rural and urban students. He said his attempt was to have common entrance test at undergraduate level from 2013,and then,prepare an all-India merit list. As per the merit,candidates would qualify for prestigious technical institutes,the minister said,adding an expert committee was examining the matter. To deal with various malpractices like misleading advertisements for technical institutes through which students are fooled,transaction of money under the table and charging of capitation fees,Sibal said the government was preparing Education Malpractices Bill that would be brought to Parliament soon. He said the government wanted to check mushrooming of such institutes where the father becomes the chancellor and son the vice-chancellor. If you do not bring professionalism,how can you run an institute, he asked. The minister asked the state governments to be careful while providing the No Objection Certificates to set up technical educational institute,claiming the Central government has not given any NOC to any institute so far. Pointing out that education was a state subject,he said states had been asked to bring reforms in this sector with a promise that Centre would provide necessary help. He said government was trying to create an environment in which the private sector can investment enough to set up quality higher education institutes. We must expand the environment to allow private sector to set up more quality institutes, he said. He said India must enhance its academic standard to get its rightful place in the comity of nations. He said his ministry was trying to connect all academic institutes through a dedicated network called National Knowledge Network so that the students could interact with experts of different fields even by sitting in any part of the country.
