TIRUPATI: Speakers at the meet on ‘Developments in higher education: Impacts and implications' organised by ‘Unnatha Vidya Parirakshana Samithi' here on Sunday gave a clarion call to prevent higher education from getting into the hands of market forces.

Addressing the inaugural session at SPMVV auditorium here on Sunday, Kerala Minister for Education M.A. Baby felt that education should never be allowed to be controlled by market forces as it could spell disaster for the society. ‘Education develops citizens and the country as well and hence should be useful for nation-building and not to benefit the market forces'.

He noted that though the constitutional experts had made education a State subject, it was included in the concurrent list during emergency and sought its reversal to give more say to the States.

He charged Centre with not consulting States before framing policies on education, adding: “The recent announcement on holding a nationwide common entrance for medicine is one such example.”