Law, HRD ministries disagree on 'world-class schools'

NEW DELHI: The HRD ministry’s ambitious plan to set up 20 world-class institutions — 10 public and 10 in private sector — has hit the law ministry wall.

Highly placed sources said a particular provision in the regulation related to the empowered committee has been objected to by the law ministry. “The law ministry has said how could the empowered committee be given unlimited powers to select institutions as well as regulate them? What happens to the powers of higher education regulator UGC? Would it not create another regulator of sorts? Also, since these institutions will be run through regulations and not through any law passed by Parliament, there is a fear of lack of accountability,” one source said.

The law ministry’s comments have been received and the HRD ministry will prepare its counter arguments over the next few weeks. But the larger problem for the HRD ministry is how to strike a fine balance between the law ministry’s comments that ask for some accountability and PMO that would like to give absolute autonomy to world-class institutions.

In fact, UGC’s regulations for world-class institutions that gave them freedom to decide on admission norms, fees and salaries has not found favour of PMO, which wants them further relaxed. “It will be a tough exercise to find a median between two diametrically opposite views,” one source said, adding that there is a fear that the 10 proposed public world-class institutions could face demand for reservation.

“The government will spend Rs 500 crore each on the 10 public institutions. How can Parliament not exercise control? Also, why should they be given freedom from reservation?” one source asked. Another question being asked is what happens if any IIT/IIM or a central university is selected by the empowered committee to the list of worldclass institutions.

“These institutions already follow reservation and their accounts are laid in Parliament. Should they be exempted from all this after making it to the ‘worldclass’ list,?” asked the source.