Sibal to table Higher Education Reforms Bill in Parliament today

New Delhi, May 3 (ANI): Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal is expected to table four bills in Parliament today, including one on permitting the entry of foreign universities to the country.

The other bills expected to be introduced in Parliament are linked to the checking of malpractices by educational institutions, setting up of a national accreditation agency and having specialised educational tribunals to adjudicate disputes in campuses.

The Cabinet had on March 15 cleared the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill, which seeks to allow the entry and operation of foreign universities in the country.

The major provisions of the bill are conditions like Rs. 50 crore as corpus fund to be deposited by the aspiring institute to be allowed to operate.

Each institute will have to be registered with the University Grants Commission (UGC) or any regulatory body in place at the time of registration.

The bill has a provision under which the government can reject an application of a university if it feels that the venture will have an adverse impact on national security.

Provisions of Section 25 of the Companies Act will be applicable to foreign institutes, under which they cannot take the profit back, but will have to spend the amount for further expansion of the institutions here.

Sibal will also introduce Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical Educational Institutions, Medical Educational Institutions and University Bill, which was approved by the Cabinet in March.

The bill seeks to consider such practices as criminal or civil offences depending on the nature of the crime.

He will also put forward the Educational Tribunal Bill, which provides for the setting up of tribunals to settle all types of disputes, including any type of malpractice or harassment of students.

The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill will also be introduced. (ANI)