Advocating the need for complete overhauling of the present higher education system, a renowned educationist on Saturday asked the government to give "full autonomy" to universities to decide their curriculum and implement it.

"The universities should be given free hand in deciding their design of curriculum and the way to conduct different courses," Prof Yashpal, who headed a government-constituted committee aimed at suggesting reforms in higher education, said here.

Addressing a debate session at the Indian Council of Social Science Research, he said an inter-disciplinary approach was required to boost innovation in the system.

"Interaction among students belonging to different streams at college and university level is necessary to bring out innovation and new ideas which come through the boundaries of discipline," Yashpal said.

Senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury agreed with the professor's view but said there should be 'social control' to engage the educational institutions into inclusive growth of the society.

"The participation of private sector in imparting eduction is important, but there has to be a social control to prevent it from converting into business," he said.