‘State-run universities facing threat’

Director of Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Ram Deshpande, said state-run universities are crippled by the commercialisation of education. “We may come to a stage where private institutions call the shots and state-run institutions become centres of mediocrity,” he said. He was participating in a round-table discussion on whether private universities are a boon or a bane organised by ABVP on Wednesday.Professor HA Ranganath, director of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), said students should opt for private universities only if state- run institutions fail to meet expectations.