Flexible regulation is the key to raising the standards of higher education in India, believes Montek Singh Ahluwalia, depury chairman of the planning commission.

Inaugurating the 'FICCI Higher Education Summit 2011: Strategies for Expansion in Higher Education in India’ here on Friday, Ahluwalia said, “The objectives of the 12th plan are expansion, equality of access and excellence in higher education.” He said that the government wishes to increase the gross enrollment ratio from the current 15 percent to 30 percent over next 10 years. “Expansion of higher education has to be balanced with equality of access, especially for those living in areas where educational institutes did not exist,” he said.

Ahulwalia also underlined the need to have an international flavour to Indian universities by including international faculty. But, he said, this would not happen unless the government removes the restriction on employment of international faculty. “There are certain posts in Indian universities which are not given to someone who is not an Indian. Unless that is changed, things cannot improve.”

Though he clarified that the thoughts are his personal and it will take lot of effort to make changes in the policy.

He also said in the next 20 years we must see a significant number of educational institutions in top 200 universities of the world.