Dear Sir/Madam I request the HRM/Department o f Higher Education to answer few queries. 1. What is the Department/HRM doing to improve the quality of education the students, especially those who are not fortunate to get into the IITs and IIMs, get. When I say quality, I mean the education that gives the chance to express themselves/their thoughts clearly in any language, the education that gives skills so that they need not go to coaching centers even after they have passed the degrees and the education that gives them confidence, say to start their own businesses (entrepreneurial skills). 2 Is UK masters degree a valid qualification to pursue PhD in India. I ask that because I read in a news paper (THE HINDU, MAY 1 2012) that it is not. Could you please give some information-- Whether it is valid, and if it is valid, what are the Indian universities that recognise the UK masters as a sufficient qualification to pursue PhD-- on that And if there are Indian Universities that recognise some UK masters degrees, what degrees are they Not just UK, If you could provide more information on what all degrees from different countries, especially those main countries that Indian students go to study, are valid to pursue PhD that would be of great help to Indians who study in foreign Universities. The information may be already available but it would be nice if HRD could make the information easily available. If this sort of information is easily available, the gullible students will not be cheated by foreign education consultancies and foreign Universities in the future. 3. Could you also give some information on the ombudsman I want the maximum details that ministry can give- how it works, who can approach, what matters the ombudsman deals with. 4. I know that education is a state subject, but why cannot India have a common syllabus/books for all the students till PLUS 2, especially the Maths, Sciences, Economics. I ask this because when I compared the text books of central boards and state boards, I found that state level (that is the case with AP at least) text books are obsolete. I sensed recklessness. I felt that they are being deprived of high quality/standard of education. CBSE students are way ahead of students of state board be it the quality, quantity or extent of knowledge CBSE students gain/exposed to. They will have, for example, clear idea of stock market. Regards Bharath