Disclosing this to reporters on the sidelines of an international education fair organised by the industry body Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Human resource development minister Arjun Singh said here on Saturday that the proposal envisaged the government standing as guarantor for students availing educational loans to ensure that the loan obtaining process becomes easier and the burden does not fall on the family of the student.

Forwarded by ASSOCHAM, the proposal was one of the principle recommendations contained in the 20-point charter of suggestions. 

Earlier, addressing the function, the Minister said: “It’s not that nothing good has come out of our education system. Look at the recent achievement by our space scientists,” he said adding that “we are not foreclosing opportunities for cooperation with outside world or private sector but we should not be dependent on borrowed ideas.”

“We cannot leave it to the market forces to control higher education,” the Minister said, apparently referring to another suggestion of the body to open up the sector and allow higher education institutes to freely fix fees after keeping 25 per cent seats for the underprivileged at a nominal fee.

“Education cannot be bought and sold over the counter. Higher education will be meaningless if it is not accessible to all,” Singh said.

Singh maintained that infrastructure in universities will have to be further strengthened and the “culture of research and inquiry” will have to be brought back.

To a question if there was any “misconception” after Friday’s Supreme Court order on OBC quota in higher educational institutions, he said there was none. Minister of State for HRD D Purandeswari said shortage of faculty in higher education was a “pressing problem” and admitted that resolving this issue will prove to be a “Herculean task” in view of the implementation of OBC quota.

“Private sector is luring young people with good salary and most of them are not interested to take up the profession of teaching,” she added.