Economic Survey envisages sweeping reforms in the education sector. If its recommendations are implemented, the Survey will prove a harbinger of unprecedented education reforms in the country.
Underlining the need to free education from the bureaucratic stronghold, the survey calls for professional regulators and visualizes private-public partnership in education which will go a long way in realization of the goal of universal primary education.
The survey lays equal stress on Competition in tertiary and secondary education.
The survey seeks to do away with government control on education altogether. In its place it suggests rating of the education providers and institutions, private or public. It wants thrust of higher education funds to be on promotion of scientific and technical education.
While the survey stresses on the need to involve private players to tide over the growing demand for educational institutions, it clearly defines as to who could best serve the interest of the education sector. They could be non-profit making registered societies or publically listed education companies.
These institutions should be accountable to a regulatory authority to ensure quality and reasonable pricing.
Students should be the ultimate beneficiaries of the government sops like financial assistance or land acquired at concessional rates by educational societies to run their institutions.