CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday said the Bill introduced in the Assembly to allow existing private colleges to be converted into private universities will be withdrawn. The decision comes after strong opposition from various quarters, including the allies of the ruling DMK.
An official press release from Minister for Higher Education Govi Chezhiaan said the state government will withdraw the amendment to the 2019 Tamil Nadu Private Universities Act.
However, defending the Bill, the release said the amendment was introduced with the aim to increase the number of higher education institutions in TN as the percentage of student enrolment in higher education in the country is the highest in the state.
The Bill introduced 10 days ago also wanted to simplify the existing procedures so that institutions could aspire to start private universities, the release said. Appropriate legal safeguards for teachers and non-teaching staff were put in place to ensure that they were not affected by the move, the release said, adding that the decision to withdraw it was taken as per the advice of CM MK Stalin.
The amendment introduced a new “Brownfield University” category, which allowed the conversion of existing private colleges into universities.
DMK allies, opposition parties flayed bill
The amendment also introduced a “Minority Private University” category that permitted linguistic and religious minorities to set up and administer universities under Article 30 of the Constitution.
Under the Bill, Brownfield Universities can be created by converting existing government-aided and private colleges that have the necessary infrastructure in place. The Bill was awaiting governor’s assent.
The 2019 Private Universities Act required possession of contiguous land of at least 100 acres for establishing a private university. The amendment reduced this to 25 acres for municipal corporations, 35 acres for municipal councils or town panchayats, and 50 acres for other areas.
The Bill faced resistance from the DMK government’s own alliance partners and opposition parties. Members of certain teaching associations and activists had also demanded the withdrawal of the bill, saying that the Bill will dilute the reservation policy, particularly in government-aided institutions. They also said that allowing more institutions to become private universities by easing the criteria will lead to higher education becoming more expensive for students.
