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| Saturday, March 08, 2008
“Differences stalling tabling of Foreign Universities Bill”
Objections came from among the coalition partners: Vayalar Ravi
INTERACTION: Vayalar Ravi, Union Minister of Overseas Indian
Affairs, with foreign students at SRM University in Kattankulathur
near Chennai on Friday.
CHENNAI: Ideological differences between the coalition partners
of the ruling United Progressive Alliance came in the way of
tabling the Foreign Universities Bill in Parliament, Vayalar
Ravi, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, said on Friday.
Inaugurating the Global Reach through Foreign Faculty and Students
programme in SRM University, Kattankulathur,
the Minister said the passing of the Bill would make it possible
for Indian students to have access to world class facilities
in educational institutions in advanced countries.
The objections came from among the coalition partners of the
UPA Government, but they were hopeful of coming to a consensus
so that it could be introduced in Parliament soon, Mr. Ravi
said. A joint Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry
of Human Resources Development had recommended the adoption
of the Bill. The Bill was ready last year, but could not be
tabled due to objections from political parties. The Bill would
encourage collaboration between Indian and foreign universities,
and improve the quality of higher education in the country.
It would result in the sharing of knowledge and exchange of
information and culture, and improve ties between India and
other countries, Mr. Ravi said.
“The Budget, presented by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram,
has made us a US Dollar Three Trillion economy,” the Union
Minister remarked, adding that it was up to the youth to develop
and sustain it.
Education is an important component of continuing the economic
growth. Pointing out that the noon meal scheme and the Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan were among the two schemes that helped spread
school education, Mr. Vayalar Ravi said increased government-private
partnership and greater thrust on research and development could
further improve the quality of education.
Referring to a batch of Chinese students studying at SRM, the
Minister said India and China had to work together to improve
the living conditions of people in poor countries. The current
budget had also increased by three times allocation to education
and health, the two important sectors for overall growth, Mr.
Ravi said.
P. Sathyanarayana, Vice-Chancellor of the private university,
said they were planning to organise the event annually.
The aim was to provide a platform for foreign students to meet
one another and exchange social and cultural values.
Ji Yanping, Chairperson, Sailcon Education Group, China, said
that they had agreed to send 300 students to SRM this year and
2,000 in the next five years. Aoi Honda of the School of Systems
Innovation and Informatics, Kyushu Institute of Technology,
Japan; Andrija Maricic, Monash University in Malaysia; Vladimir
A. Labay, visiting professor from the U.S.; and T.R. Pachamuthu,
Chancellor, spoke.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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