Infosys asks Centre to open up higher edu sector

Mumbai, Dec 28: Citing constraint of talent in the country, IT major Infosys on Thursday asked the Centre to open up higher education sector, failing which India's growth would be affected.

"Infrastructure and capital are not the biggest constraints of India, but availability of talent," Infosys board member T V Mohandas Pai said on the sidelines of a conference. Infosys chief mentor N R Narayanamurthy has taken up the reform process in higher education sector to the Prime Minister, who has responded positively, Pai said.

"The present education system does not provide that many skilled personnel needed for the IT industry because of which wages are rising," he said.

IT industry would absorb about 4.3 lakh persons by the end of this year. Infosys would hire 30,000 this year.

As a immediate measure to tie over the problem of availability of skilled manpower, Infosys is working with 1,000 engineering colleges in the country. About 30,000 students are taking part in the Infosys programme, Pai said.

Infosys has a six-point programme for reforms in the education sector: give autonomous status to all universities, set up a scholarship fund for poor students, grants for research, allow private universities, allow top foreign universities to open up branches in India and do away with multiple regulator and have only one.

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