Letter to BS: Proposal to replace UGC is just the starting point

Apropos “Aim higher” (June 29); proposal to replace UGC is the beginning of one of the most fundamental reforms from the government. I am deliberately using the word fundamental because education is at the very core of any society's development and growth. 

Giving greater autonomy to IITs and IIMs would not only make these institutions better but will also pay the nation hands down in improving our intellectual capital. Separating governance from funding is a great idea, which should help the country get rid of the infamous institutions, hitherto engaged in fund-granting. Who is not aware of the management institutes that have become synonymous with grabbing prime land, exploiting poor gullible students and turning out thousands of MBAs who can't even find a decent job.

Council of Institutes headed by the former HRD minister was a non-starter anyway. You don't need a government mechanism to review the performance of IIMs. Their reviews come from industry placements. The role model for our education system must be the West — the USA to be more specific. Declining power or not, this country's higher education system continues to be the most robust and extraordinarily independent. 

Krishan Kalra  Gurugram

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