(Repeating yesterday's DR25)

Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, Jan 7 (UNI) Foreign institutes setting up shop in the country for the sole purpose of making money should be banned by an act of Parliament, Knowledge Commission Vice-Chairman P M Bhargava today said and also made out a strong case for doing away with reservation in educational institutions.

Critical of the Commerce Ministry proposal of allowing foreign institutes in the country under the General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS), the leading educationist said entry of such institutes should be restricted.

''Those who want to come for the sole purpose of making money should not be allowed. Only knowledge-based foreign institutes should be allowed,'' he said.

On the reservation issue, he said he was for reservation only if it was for 15 years.

''The government should cut down reservation by 5 per cent every year,'' he added.

Spelling out his vision for knowledge-based education, he stressed the need for having 400,000 Kendriya Vidyalaya type schools in the country where education should be free up to high school.

''There should be no private or government school. These neighbourhood schools should be run by the local self government and a committee having parents as members. '' These schools, he said, should give free education to all, be it a student from a rich family or a poor family.

''When we have so many educated people, then there will be no need for reservation,'' he said.

He said out of 6 per cent of the GDP earmaked for education, 3.5 per cent should be spent on school education.

On higher education, he said every university should have undergraduate courses.

Calling affiliated colleges a cancer, he said the bad ones should be abolished and the good ones tuned into universities.

UNI