With Left parties opposing the foreign universities Bill, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that the Government would move forward whenever there is consensus on the matter. He said the Ministry has already drafted the Bill and plans to send it to the Cabinet for approval “very soon”.

“I do believe it is important for us to have access to the best in the world. There is nothing wrong with it. We need to get access to the best institutions of the world as well because India needs the best, and we shall be the best in the field of education,” he said.

The CPM and other Left parties are opposing FDI in education sector argruing that such a move would impede the development of indigenous and critical research within the university education system, aggravate the tendency towards commercialisation and strengthen the hold of neo-liberal ideas in the academia.

Sibal said the Government was planning to introduce the Right to Education Bill in Parliament during the current session.

Referring to complaints regarding deemed universities, Sibal said the Ministry has ordered a freeze on fresh grants and has set up a committee to see whether UGC norms and other guidelines were followed by them. As many as 62 deemed universities have sprung up in the past five years.

“These universities are flourishing,” he said, adding that the Government has no problem on “commercialisation” as long as the institutions are providing excellent education.

Sibal said the Government would act on the basis of the findings of the committee’s report on the functioning of deemed universities.