‘Kerala missed the bus on private universities’

Kerala’s new push for private universities was motivated by the mushrooming of centrally-regulated private deemed-to-be universities and outmigration of students. Eight-10 bodies have shown interest

- Musab Qazi

As Kerala looks to open the doors for private universities following years of steadily opposing them, the response from educational organisations has been lukewarm.

Some of the large educational groups in Kerala believe the state is late in expanding the sector for private bodies. They see some of the provisions in the new law as attempts of ‘government interference’ and also expressed concerns about monetary requirements, reservations and maintaining the minority status of potential universities.

However, the government reports that several organisations have shown interest in setting up universities even though its proposed law is yet to get the governor's ascent. It insists that the law emphasises equally on excellence and quality as well as social justice and equity. The officials contend that the legislation, and its timing, ensure a level playing field for both public and private institutions.

U-turn and new law

Earlier this year, the Kerala assembly passed the State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill, paving the way for setting up private universities in the state. This was a watershed moment for the southern state with near-universal literacy and one of the highest gross enrollment ratios (GER) across the country. The proposed law has been brought by the CPI(M)-led left government, marking a stark reversal for the party that has for decades opposed any stake for private players in education.

In 1995, five activists from CPI(M)'s youth wing, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), were killed in a police shooting while agitating against a medical college being started in the cooperative sector by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government. The party also opposed setting up of self-financing engineering and medical colleges in the early 2000s.