Firms to use schools, colleges for skill training: Sibal

NEW DELHI - Public assets like schools and colleges may soon be used by private companies for skill training free of cost, Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal said here Tuesday.

“A policy framework is underway for public assets like schools and colleges to be used by private players for skill training without any cost in the afternoons and evenings,” Sibal said at the Confederation of India Industry’s (CII) northern regional annual meeting.

According to the minister, private players can use school and college campus spaces for technical and other skill training sessions in which students can take part along with others without paying any fee.

“India needs to invest in the intangible wealth of ideas and innovations and this is possible only if we can increase the gross enrolment in higher education from 12.4 percent to a minimum of 30 percent by 2020,” he added.

“To ensure this, education cannot be a sectoral enterprise but must be a national endeavour. Change in mindsets, openness to fresh ideas, liberalization and involvement of the community at the local level only can bring this about,” Sibal said.

The minister also called for a self disclosure format for assets by educational institutes.

“There should be a self-disclosure format for educational institutes for assets, faculty, teacher-pupil ratio, fee structure and the likes while those who put in erroneous information would be penalized through law,” Sibal said.