*Prof, Dean, School of Management, KIIT University, Campus-7, Krishna Campus, Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha, India
**Research Scholar & Executive, School of Management KIIT University, Campus-7, Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha, India
Online published on 12 December, 2016.
The draft education policy aims to bring in inclusive quality education as against the earlier orientation towards Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and equity. The Economic Liberalization of the nineties has witnessed mushrooming of colleges/universities by the private sector. The RTE Act 2009 has ensured near universal access to primary education through Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and a high modicum of equity. But the quality dimension remains suspect, both at the primary and higher levels. This paper brings out the policy initiatives in the last decades and the broad contours of the new draft policy which puts a premium on research, improved Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow and collaboration with foreign universities. However, it does not address the concerns of regulatory bodies like excessive centralization by University Grants Commission (UGC), and the tendency to encourage commercialization of education that help only the neo-rich. The paper makes a strong recommendation to improve the grass root Panchayat structure as the fiscal point to ensure quality primary education as a bridge for higher education and ensure allocation of atleast 6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to education. Just like Goods and Services Tax (GST), is expected to bolster One Tax, One Nation, a credible education policy should Improve “Quality Education For All”.
GER, RTE Act, SSA, FDI, UGC, GDP, GST
