Tuesday, July 11 2006 17:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Seeking to set at rest the controversy over an OBC quota in elite educational institutions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (July 11, 2006) said his government was committed to ensuring excellence and widening access to education for all sections of society.

"Recently, there has been some discussions in our country on our policy towards centres of excellence. I have repeatedly said that our government is committed both to excellence and to widening of access to education, especially higher education and research," the Prime Minister said.

He was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Indian Institute of Science, Research and Education at Salt Lake.

"The Government, would commit adequate resources for massive expansion in the higher education system to enable all sections of society to fulfil their educational aspirations," he said.

"The expansion has become more pressing because India could not have pretension about being a knowledge power if less than 8 per cent of the college-going age group was enrolled in the college system," he said.