Sibal for global partnership, private sector in education
By IANSThursday, November 11, 2010
NEW DELHI - Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Thursday called for global partnership in the field of education and stressed on a greater role for the private sector.
Addressing a higher education summit organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Sibal said that private sector is needed to create education infrastructure and meet the target of 30 percent gross enrolment ratio by 2020.
“We will need 800 new universities and 40,000 new colleges to meet the aim of 30 percent GER (gross enrolment ratio) by 2020. Government alone cannot meet this aim,” Sibal said.
He, however, added that private institutes need to focus on accountability issues.
Calling for global partnership, he said while India had job opportunities, it lacked trained human resource.
“Students go abroad but that is a miniscule (number), capital must move to the place where human resource is,” he said, inviting foreign universities to India.
The two-day summit will see participants from US, Britain, Canada and other countries. The inaugural session was also attended by Britain’s Minister of State for Universities and Science David Willetts.
–Indo Asian News Service
