THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Continuing with his tirade against commercialisation of education, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the self-financing sector has been viewed as a business more profitable than ‘Abkari business’.
Inaugurating the State government’s mission to protect public education here on Friday, Pinarayi said many indulge in self-financing education with a view of reaping more profit than from Abkari business. Self-financing colleges have turned out to be commercial establishments, he said. He, however, observed that former chief minister AK Antony, who made a similar statement against the self-financing sector recently, had given them nod with good intentions.
"However self-financing colleges started without any proper criteria and regulations. Now, these establishments have become business centres, drawing severe flak from even AK Antony," Pinarayi said.
The chief minister pointed out that making use of the special scenario prevailing in the education sector, many institutions have mushroomed in the State. "These institutions have their own ways of attracting people, as a result of which, even those who had studied in public schools are sending their children to such institutions. This led to the destruction of our public education system," Pinarayi said.
“Compared with schools in the unaided sector, public schools have fewer facilities. Unaided schools have many schemes to attract children,” Pinarayi Vijayan said referring to facilities offered by private schools.
Earlier this month, Pinarayi had said the irregularities and looting that is happening in the self-financing sector will be brought to check. “The Christian managements which had initially opposed commercialisation of education, too have become a part of commercialisation of education now," he said while inaugurating the diamond jubilee celebrations of Devagiri St Joseph's college in Kozhikode.