Commercialisation of higher education – UGC NET Question

Statements A and B are correct: commercialisation treats education primarily as a tradable service for profit, and a major concern is that it may undermine equity and the public purpose of higher education. Statements C and D are incorrect because profit orientation does not automatically guarantee better quality, and public regulation remains important even when market forces operate. Hence, the correct set of statements is A and B only.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes only A and B, the two accurate statements, and excludes C and D, which make incorrect claims about guaranteed quality improvement and the absence of a regulatory role.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it pairs B and C and therefore treats C as if it were a valid statement. By suggesting that commercialisation always guarantees quality improvement, it ignores evidence that profit-driven models can also compromise quality and access.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it combines A, B and C and thus includes C, the statement that overgeneralises the impact of commercialisation, failing to acknowledge possible negative consequences.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it treats all four statements as if they were of the same validity, thereby accepting D’s claim that regulation has no place once markets operate, which is inconsistent with the need for quality assurance and consumer protection.