Separate body for higher education, health soon

Announcing this in his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said a Bill would be brought soon in Parliament in this regard.

“We have been giving special attention to education and health in the last six years. Improvement in these two areas is an important component of our strategy for inclusive growth. It is also necessary for higher economic growth in the years to come,” he said.

The Human Resource Development Ministry has already prepared a draft bill for setting up a national commission on higher education and research. The proposed bill has in its purview all fields of higher education, including technical, legal, medical and agriculture.

The Health and Family Welfare Ministry has also prepared another draft of the national council on human resources in health that proposes to regulate medical education and research.

“We tried to change this state of affairs in the 11th Plan. Today, almost every child in our country has access to primary education. Now, we need to pay more attention to secondary and higher education,” he said.

“Every child, irrespective of whether he is rich or poor and the section of society he belongs to, should be given an education that enables him to realise his potential and makes him a responsible citizen,” he added.