Jalandhar, August 30, 2014: A meeting on higher education was held in which Chief Minister Punjab Parkash Singh Badal, Education Minister, Education Secretary, Finance Secretary, Chief Secretary, DPI Colleges and members of personnel department participated and proposed to reduce 95 % grant to 80 % to the government aided colleges, affiliated with Guru Nanak Dev University.
The President of Principals' Association of Government Aided Private Colleges Principal BB Sharma, General Secretary Dr.Sarita Verma, Vice president Dr.Naresh Dhiman and Dr.Dharam Singh strongly condemned this move of higher education department. It is quite ironical that in 1979, Badal led Government themselves brought the private aided colleges under 95% grant for the betterment of higher education and further social development. Now with this proposal the government is again putting the prospects of higher education towards darkness, increasing the social and psychological trauma of the teaching and non teaching staff. Thus, setting the higher education towards the path of privitisation and its downfall.
In an ideal states budget, 6% of GDP should be sanctioned to the higher education. However, in the current scenario, it is quite low in the case of Punjab. Principals' association strongly felt that for the upliftment of higher education, the government should lift the ban on the grant- in- aid posts, continue with their 95% grant should drop the idea of clearing this proposal.