R Ramakumar, Professor at Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai said, “We never had a golden era in higher education like the UK or the US, we always had a bronze era.” Academicians and activists discussed the flawed education system in India, highlighting differences between the Western and Indian education systems at a public discourse held at St Joseph’s College (Autonomous) on Wednesday.

The Bengaluru Collective, a platform upholding the constitutional rights, held the discourse as a two-panel discussion on “Reflections on the Draft Higher Education Commission of India Act 2018” and “The Road to Higher Education Commission of India.”

Joking about Ambani and Birla as the extraordinary scholars of education in India, Ramakumar pointed out how business tycoons suggested the government to leave higher and professional education in hands of the private sector.

The privatization of the education system will have an impact on the marginalized communities. The constitution is failing and growing weaker in this decade more than ever. “When we talk about commercialisation and privatisation, it means we are talking about subverting our constitution which was a product of our freedom struggle,” said V P Niranjanaradhya, a Professor at the National Law University, Bengaluru.