TN Bill to let pvt colleges turn into varsities

THE Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday introduced a Bill in the Assembly to amend the Tamil Nadu Private III Universities Act, 2019, enabling existing private colleges, including government-aided ones, to be converted into private universities if they meet the prescribed criteria.

- BINITA JAISWAL @Chennai

Under the existing Act, only greenfield institutions can be converted into private universities.

The proposed amendment introduces a new "Brownfield University" category, which allows the conversion of existing private colleges into universities, and a "Minority Private University" category that permits linguistic and religious minorities to set up and administer universities under Article 30 of the Constitution.

The government may pass the Bill during the current Assembly session that concludes on Friday. AIADMK MLA and former higher education minister K P Anbazhagan opposed the Bill at the introduction stage.

The seats in government-aided courses in all types of private colleges are presently filled as per the state's reservation policies.