Centre focusing on survival of quality institutions: Raju

The Centre is keen on providing quality education and will ensure all necessary support to good institutions so that they survive, HRD Minister M Pallam Raju said today.
"One of the important focus in the 12th five-year plan is quality of education. We are very serious about it. We are encouraging the institutions to go for accreditation," Raju told reporters on the sidelines of Pan-IIM world management conference on emerging issues in management in Goa today.
"In the process (of encouraging good institutions) if non-qualitative institutions close down, we will not be bothered. But the focus is to ensure that the quality institutions survive and we will provide all necessary support for them," he said.

The minister was responding to a question on closing down of several B-schools in the country, who find it difficult to continue with their courses.
Defending the Right to Education (RTE) policy, the minister said, there was a view that RTE should not be diluted. "We have no intention of diluting it," he said, adding the state and Union government have been holding periodical review of the policy.
Raju said that because of RTE, the Centre has been able to expand capacity to ensure that every child goes to school.

"We have 96 per cent of children going to school now. The mid day meal scheme is benefitting 11 crore students. The whole idea of RTE is that there is wholesome environment for children," he said.

Responding to the no detention policy which is facing opposition from several quarters, Raju said no detention does not mean there will be no exams.
"We want to ensure that kids remain in school. The students are evaluated not only on their scholastic but overall performance," he added.