The Hindu Business Line : `Govt, pvt sector must join hands to deliver quality education'

NEW BUILDING: The Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, inaugurating the new university administrative block of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) at Manipal on Wednesday. The Pro Chancellor of MAHE, Mr H.S. Ballal (third from right) is also seen. — Ganesh Prabhu

Manipal. Sept. 6

There is a need for the Government and private sector to work towards providing quality education and healthcare to people, according to the Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram.

Inaugurating the university building of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) at Manipal on Wednesday, Mr Chidambaram said that the goal of higher education should be to deliver education of highest quality. This can be done by providing more resources - both human and financial - to this sector.

"The Government has its own limitations and it can't find resources to meet the aspirations of everyone. Here there is a clear space for private sector to play. When education sector gets more democratised and the private sector takes the larger share of this responsibility, it creates more space for the Government to extend education to more sections," he said.

Reservation issue

Stating that access to education is the key for the development of the sector, Mr Chidambaram said, "Today there is raging debate over reservation. Reservation is the other side of the coin of access. Denial of access sparks the clamour for reservation. This access must be available to all and open doors for quality of education," he said.

Speaking on the financial constraints faced by service providers (higher education institutes) and service receivers (students), he said service providers find innovative ways to raise resources. Alumni should also give back to their alma mater. "It is heartening to note that a large number of NRIs have come back to the country to support their alma mater such as IITs, IIMs and other institutes of higher education," he said.

EDUCATION LOANS

To tackle the financial constraints faced by service receivers — some of who come from remote areas and poor families — they should be provided loans and scholarships.

Stating that everyone entering for higher education is creditworthy, he said: "When we assumed office, the total number of education loan portfolio was about Rs 3,000 crore. As on March 31, 2006, the figure stood at Rs 10,005 crore." Banks have realised that this a profitable portfolio, he said.

BUILD A MODEL

"If we build a model where service provider has access to financial resources and service receiver also has access to financial resources, then we can build many more quality higher education institutes," Mr Chidambaram said.

He told the students the benchmark for an Indian student couldn't be another Indian student, and urged them to benchmark to the best in the world.

India, which has acquired leadership positions in many areas, can acquire leadership positions in areas such as education. The country can become one of the world's leading and best education providers in the world, he added.

Digital campus

Dr Ramdas Pai, MAHE President, said that MAHE has launched a digital campus to enhance students' services and academic excellence. MAHE believes in leveraging technology and systems in imparting quality education, he added. As part of making Manipal a digital campus, MAHE has distributed 3,000 laptops to students, 1,500 to faculty members and set up WiFi-enabled locations.