The Last Flicker (Pallam Raju’s Stint)

This chapter describes how the UPA Government had reached the terminal stage when Pallam Raju assumed charge as Minister, MHRD, and how in spite of heavy odds made the best of a bad job, and attempted to salvage the failed reform agenda of Sibal as much as he could by quietly getting UGC to issue regulations. It outlines the report of the Madhava Menon Committee on Open and Distance Education Learning (ODC), and the action taken on that report. It also describes the crisis created by the Supreme Court judgment in Association of Management of Private Colleges (April 2013) virtually divesting the AICTE of power to regulate tertiary technical education. It describes the historic importance of the launch of the RMSA and RUSA, and emphasizes the imperative of the Central Government played a directional role and extending financial support for meet in transcendent national challenges such as improving quality and learning achievement at all areas and stages of education, universalizing secondary education, development of skills and competencies of all types, and rejuvenating the moribund state universities.