Left hails review of pvt univ Bill, VCK seeks scrapping

CHENNAI: Left parties on Sunday welcomed the State government’s decision to withdraw and review the Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, calling it a move that upholds social justice and public accountability in higher education.

Their reaction follows Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiyan’s announcement on Saturday that the Bill, passed by the Assembly on October 18, would be withdrawn for review after objections from teachers’ associations, educationists and several legislators.

CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said he was pleased with the decision. “I welcome with joy the announcement made by the Higher Education Minister to withdraw the Private Universities Bill. Thanks to the CM for intervening appropriately and respecting the views expressed by parties and organisations,” he said.

CPI state secretary M Veerapandian also welcomed the decision, saying the amendment could have had adverse effects on the social justice framework and would have denied access to higher education for students from working-class families. He noted that educationists, student organisations and political parties had repeatedly urged the government to withdraw the Bill because it would encourage privatisation in higher education.

"The CPI Tamil Nadu state executive welcomes the government's decision to withdraw the Bill in response to public criticism and legislative debate," Veerapandian said.

The Left leader added that the government's review of the Bill should strengthen its commitment to social justice and ensure that higher education remains a public responsibility.

“The reconsideration's aim should be to reinforce equitable access to education and prevent the unchecked growth of private institutions,” he said.

Meanwhile, VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan on Sunday urged the State government to withdraw the Bill and not to review it.

Thirumavalavan stated that the Bill, if implemented, would enable private and government-aided colleges to convert into private universities, even without sufficient infrastructure. "Earlier, 100 acres of land were required to start a private university. The amendment now reduces it to 25 acres in municipal areas, 35 acres in town panchayats, and 50 acres in other regions. It even allows collaboration with foreign universities, paving the way for unregulated private institutions," he said.

He pointed out that such provisions would give new private universities the freedom to decide their own curricula, fee structures, and staff salaries, leading to arbitrary practices. "This amendment will turn education into a commodity available only to those who can afford it," he said.

Citing data from the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020–21 report, Thirumavalavan observed that Tamil Nadu already has a high level of private dominance in higher education. Of the State's 2,657 colleges, only about 16% are government institutions, while 2,020 are private and 265 are government-aided.

He noted that Tamil Nadu has only 372 government colleges compared to 685 in Karnataka, 534 in Maharashtra, and 745 in Madhya Pradesh. "Even in a smaller State like Kerala, there are 272 government colleges," he said, adding that Tamil Nadu has 61 universities, of which more than half are private, including 26 deemed universities, the highest in the country," he pointed out.

The amendment will only deepen this inequality, Thirumavalavan warned.

The VCK chief urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to withdraw the Bill altogether, rather than subject it to a review, in the interest of students, teachers, and the future of equitable education in the State. Meanwhile, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss claimed the move to repeal the Bill was his success. He claimed the government succumbed to pressure owing to PMK's opposition.