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Patna,(BiharTimes): In a significant shift in policy the state government on Wednesday announced that it is working on a Bill for the framing of an Act to facilitate the opening of private universities in the state. It would be tabled in the state Assembly during the current session itself. |
Reply to a debate on the education department’s budgetary demand of Rs 18,280.70 crore for the 2013-14 financial year, the Education Minister Prashant Kumar Shahi said on Wednesday that the aim of the Bill would be to facilitate the private sector investment in establishing universities. Its draft is in the last stage of preparation.
According to him, the management of universities in the private sector, like Manipal University, Amity University and Rai Foundation etc had evinced interest in opening their university centres in the state.
Shahi, at the same time, said the situation in the state's “traditional universities” was peculiar as the Chancellor-cum-Governor of the state was the appointing authority of vice-chancellors and pro-VCs without consulting the government.
Incidentally, RJD members including leader of opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui, and the lone CPI member had walked out of the House when Shahi made the announcement.
Incidentally, it is not only RJD chief Lalu Yadav, but even chief minister Nitish Kumar, who was till recently opposed to the very idea of private universities on the grounds that they might encourage promotion of the corporate interests rather than serving the cause of actual higher education and research.
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