Letters: Need for a mechanism

In the column, “Ivy League in Gurgaon” (May 31), Anjuli Bhargava has rightly raised a red flag about the propensity of “education providers” — perhaps the biggest money-makers after self-proclaimed gurus — to make tall, unsubstantiated claims about their facilities and faculty.

The advertiser in question has likely surpassed others in its sheer audacity making claims that are nothing short of ridiculous. Admittedly, the particular group of institutes has done a great job of creating infrastructure, especially in Noida, and its alumni have also found decent placements. But it seems it got carried away by its success while designing the particular advertisement.

There should be a mechanism in place to check the veracity of such claims. False claims in the education sector, if proved, amounts to criminality.

The big question: Who will carry out the verification and certification? University Grants Commission, All India Council for Technical Education, state-supported outfits or a new, independent regulator that would include representatives from civil society and employers? With the proliferation of universities and institutes, it’s time the government thought of a sound, foolproof mechanism.

Krishan Kalra, Gurgaon

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