'Make technical education a right'

A government-appointed committee has recommended making technical education a “fundamental right” of citizens, saying it will provide the “much-needed impetus” to transmission of employable skills to the  youth.

In its report, submitted to the HRD Ministry recently, the panel has also recommended making the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) a constitutional body, like the Election Commission, with provisions for removal of its chief by impeachment and punishment under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for any interference in its day-to-day functioning.

“The AICTE currently functions with the mindset of the licence-permit raj and sees itself as a policeman,” noted the panel, headed by HRD Ministry ex-secretary M K Kaw.