BENGALURU: Minister for Higher Education M C Sudhakar on Thursday said the government would soon form a committee to review the State Education Policy (SEP) report, which was submitted three months ago.
In a press meet, Sudhakar said, “The principal secretary for higher education has changed three times in the past few months. This might have slipped in between. We already had an interim report on SEP, which we implemented.”
When the Congress came to power in the state, it had promised to replace the National Education Policy with the State Education Policy. However, there was a delay in the submission of the SEP report.
The Sukhadeo Thorat committee submitted its report three months ago. Once it was submitted, the government had promised that a committee would be formed to review the report and highlight the important points, as it was an elaborate one.
The concise report was to be submitted to the Cabinet, which will take a decision on the recommendations.
With this academic year coming to an end within a few months, it is not possible for the department to roll out the SEP anytime soon.
Meanwhile, a British delegation led by UK government minister Seema Malhotra met Sudhakar. He requested Malhotra to increase the number of students eligible for Chevening scholarships. Last year, five students were selected. He said, “Last year, our government colleges were not very aware of the scheme. Next year, we hope for more participation from them. Meanwhile, we have requested the UK to increase the number of students eligible.”
The University of Liverpool and the University of Lancaster are expected to start their campuses for the academic year 2026. He added, “I will write to the University Grants Commission (UGC) seeking clarity on regulation of the foreign universities. The state government has no power to regulate the foreign universities as per UGC norms. However, it is unclear who the authority will be in case students in the university face an issue.”