Q: But is there consensus on issues such as autonomy, opening up the sector to foreign players, etc?

A: Often, opinions differ. You have to take into account views of different people. I should add this is not very different from economic reforms. Rajiv Gandhi first talked about it in the mid-80s. The next major step came in 1991. Those reforms took over a decade to be implemented. So, don’t expect reforms in education to happen in 1-2 years. Having said that, a number of initiatives taken in this area are yielding results. Look at education as a whole. At the bottom of the pyramid is the attempt to expand primary education and I believe this government has done a remarkable job by developing infrastructure under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. So, almost 97 per cent of the children are enrolled.

Q: What about allowing foreign universities and foreign investment in education?

A: We are looking at the issue. The most important thing is to expand and improve public sector universities and to give a level playing field to private Indian universities. I’m not saying that we should keep foreign universities out. I’m only saying that we cannot give preferential treatment to a foreign university that we won’t give to an Indian university. I have no doubt we need to encourage private universities and create a better environment for them. But if an Indian university wants to come in, we can’t tell them no, this is only for foreign universities.

... contd.