Indo-Australia VCs for financial aid to poor students

Kochi, May 6: A round-table conference of Indo-Australian Vice-Chancellors called for effective support system to the weaker sections to ensure access and equity in higher education.

The two-day meet organised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) here, in its concluding remarks, wanted financial support system to talented merit students as there was no such effective mechanism in India as seen in Australia and elsewhere.

''The existing bank support system is not practical to the current need of the students,'' the conference on 'Equity and Access in Higher Education' noted.

The meeting called for different modules, like public education system, private education, self-financing and mixed systems, to achieve the goal of equity and access.

''The problems can not be dealt in isolation and needs attention from school level. No single system is effective and diversified system be established,'' the meeting said.

The participants also stressed the need to attract highly qualified and talented teachers in both school and higher education sectors. They also called for focuss in basic sciences, social sciences and language systems.

Besides 50 per cent reservation to weaker sections the leaders of the AIU wanted the Parliament to make a move in this regard.

It was noted that only seven per cent of the youth aged between 17 and 23 got higher education in India whereas 51 per cent of students in developed countries go for higher education.

AIU president S F Patil and Vice-Chancellors from different universities both in India and Australia attended the conference.

UNI