Parliamentary standing committee raps Kapil Sibal, HRD ministry for not consulting all stakeholders while framing key rules
The standing committee stated displeasure with the 'level of consultations undertaken by the dept' in its reports on key reform-oriented legislations.
By ET Bureau | Updated:
NEW DELHI: It is not just Team Anna that is unhappy with human resource development minister Kapil Sibal. The parliamentary standing committee on human resource development, headed by senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, too has expressed its displeasure with Sibal and his ministry.
The parliamentary panel has rapped the ministry for not undertaking consultations with all interested parties and stakeholders while framing crucial legislations aimed at reforming higher education.
In its reports on key reform-oriented legislations relating to foreign education providers, prohibition of unfair practices, and national accreditation authority, the Standing Committee expressly stated its displeasure with the "level of consultations undertaken by the department".
"It is evident that consultation with all the stakeholders, which should have been ideally the starting point for formulating such a crucial piece of legislation for quality control of higher education sector in the country, remained the least priority issue for the department," the standing committee's report on the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for higher educational institutions bill states.
The parliamentary panel sought to remedy this lapse- inadequate consultations with state governments, private and public stakeholders, academics- by inviting active participation, soliciting views and appearances by stakeholders before the committee.
The panel in its deliberations on the Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical Educational Institutions, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill, 2010 found that there had been no consultation with any of statutory regulatory authorities.
"The Committee is dismayed to observe that other major stakeholders, that is, statutory regulatory bodies like UGC, MCI, AICTE, etc remained a part of the formal exercise only… the ministry has candidly admitted that no direct consultations with regulatory bodies like MCI, DCI, etc have been undertaken," the Standing Committee's report states.
The parliamentary panel has rapped the ministry for not undertaking consultations with all interested parties and stakeholders while framing crucial legislations aimed at reforming higher education.
In its reports on key reform-oriented legislations relating to foreign education providers, prohibition of unfair practices, and national accreditation authority, the Standing Committee expressly stated its displeasure with the "level of consultations undertaken by the department".
"It is evident that consultation with all the stakeholders, which should have been ideally the starting point for formulating such a crucial piece of legislation for quality control of higher education sector in the country, remained the least priority issue for the department," the standing committee's report on the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for higher educational institutions bill states.
The parliamentary panel sought to remedy this lapse- inadequate consultations with state governments, private and public stakeholders, academics- by inviting active participation, soliciting views and appearances by stakeholders before the committee.
The panel in its deliberations on the Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical Educational Institutions, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill, 2010 found that there had been no consultation with any of statutory regulatory authorities.
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"The Committee is dismayed to observe that other major stakeholders, that is, statutory regulatory bodies like UGC, MCI, AICTE, etc remained a part of the formal exercise only… the ministry has candidly admitted that no direct consultations with regulatory bodies like MCI, DCI, etc have been undertaken," the Standing Committee's report states.
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