New Delhi, July 24 - Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Friday said the government was considering allowing new autonomous colleges to be set up independent of universities but with stringent quality parameters.

Addressing a meeting of principal secretaries and secretaries of higher education from various states here, Sibal said: 'The government is thinking in terms of allowing the setting up of autonomous colleges.'

Elaborating on his idea, Sibal told IANS: 'Right now, there is no institution that starts as an autonomous college. But if it meets the right quality parameters, why not?'

He explained that in the present system a college would usually start with it being affiliated with university and then graduate to getting an autonomous status.

The minister's day-long interaction with the officials was his first initiative to evolve a consensus of the states for reforms in the education sector.