After a long delay, India’s cabinet has approved two key higher-education reform bills, clearing the way for Parliament to vote on them, reports The Times of India. One would require mandatory accreditation of higher-education institutions, while the other would establish innovation universities to promote research excellence. The latter proposal had attracted interest from American universities to help set up the new institutions. The cabinet’s efforts are a sign that a set of long-delayed higher-education bills, including one that would allow foreign universities to establish campuses in India, may finally become law.

The effort to open new Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research is faltering, says a Parliamentary committee that oversees the education ministry, reports The Times of India. With a faculty shortage as high as 60 percent at some of the new branches, in a report the committee has asked the ministry to ensure such gaps are closed quickly. The report, which doesn’t offer ways to solve the problem of finding professors, says “the committee is of the view that only qualified and experienced faculty can make the functioning of any institution, specially premier institutions like IIT, meaningful and effective.” It also expresses concern over the temporary campuses of the new schools, saying they often lack the state-of-the-art labs and robust libraries originally envisioned.

Nearly 30 percent of recent Indian engineering graduates cannot answer basic mathematical problems or carry out simple equations, according to a report, writes India Today. The report was based on research that tested 55,000 graduates of 250 engineering colleges. “A bag is full of 20 bananas and no other fruit. Rajeev draws a fruit from the bag. What is the probability that he will draw a banana?” was among the questions that stumped many recent students surveyed by Aspiring Minds, a company that helps top businesses recruit engineering graduates. The report also says lack of basic English-language skills compounds the problems as it makes it difficult for students to grasp basic concepts.

India’s ambitious plans to expand its higher-education sector over the next five years requires extensive corporate support, with businesses contributing at least half of the $7.5-billion needed, says a new report, according to The Indian Express. The recommendation came from a government-sponsored committee led by N.R. Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys, to explore the role of private players in education. In addition to increased contributions from companies, the report recommends the government give land free for 999 years to a private entities to set up educational institutions, academic facilities, and technology parks. “The existing higher-education system in India lags in comparison to global standards and is inadequate to meet the demand. There is a need to engage the corporate sector to invest in existing institutions and set up new ones,” Mr. Murthy said.