Congress defenders pass private university bill

The Kerala Parliament on Monday delayed the passage of the Kerala Private University (Institutions and Regulations) Act 2025, despite more than two hours of extensive discussion.

The decision was attributed to time constraints, as the House could not close the lawsuit before the planned 6 p.m., and members were also planning to attend the IFTAR feast hosted by opposition VD Satheesan leaders.

The Higher Education Minister R. Bindu, who initiated the debate, said the bill included sufficient safeguards and other rules needed to be formulated after dominating private universities. She stressed that the proposed legislation was the result of a meticulous plan. The Higher Education Reform Commission chaired by Shyam B. Menon recommends that private universities be allowed in 2022. However, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has delayed its decision to prioritize strengthening public institutions before introducing the reform.

Public subordinates have improved

Dr. Bindu stressed that the first Pinarayi Vijayan government focused on improving the schools established by the government, thereby increasing the enrollment rate of 500,000 new students. The current government’s focus is on strengthening higher education standards, resulting in Kerala’s universities receiving NAAC highest scores and NIRF rankings. In addition, Kerala’s 16 government colleges are now listed as one of the top 300 institutions in the country.

Dr. Bindu made private interest charges against the opposition allegations, and opposition to the current situation is in stark contrast to the situation under the United Democratic Front (UDF). She recalled that the education sector was in chaos during the UDF rule. Then, public institutions faced a crisis and several institutions closed down. She also noted that LDCs had previously opposed attempts to welcome corporate entities into the industry at the expense of public institutions.

Retain the specifications

Abid Hussain Thangal, a legislator of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), raised concerns over the proposed reservation norm, which allocates 40% of seats for each course to students of permanent residents of Kerala. He warned that the provision could face legal challenges, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling that state quotas are unconstitutional to the residency-based graduate medical program in state quotas.

However, Dr. Bindu insists that the ruling will not apply in this case. She said the “enablement provisions” in the bill would allow government intervention to cause legal complications.

Ibrahim lawmakers accused the Communist Party of India [CPI(M)]The leading alliance reverses the stance on private participation in education. He also criticized the government for failing to include regulations to ensure that only organizations with experience in the education sector can establish private universities.