TRIVANDRUM, India, 4 July 2006 — With private professional colleges refusing to accept government guidelines, both are heading for a confrontation plunging the higher education sector into another crisis.
The Kerala Private Self-Financing Engineering College Managements Association has decided to move the Supreme Court against the new law passed by the assembly last week, saying it contains provisions that violate the constitution.
On Sunday, Gov. R.L. Bhatia signed the law, the Kerala Professional Colleges (Prohibition of Capitation Fee, Regulation of Admission, Fixation of Non-Exploitative Fee and Other Measures to Ensure Equity and Excellence in Professional Education) Bill, making it effective from this academic year.
The 50-member association has also threatened to close down their institutions if the state government does not “rectify the defects” in the new law while reports say students are leaving the state for better-run institutions in neighboring states.
Education Minister M.A. Baby said the government knew how to rein in private colleges while Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan threatened to order a probe into college admissions in the past three years.
“If they want to run the colleges here, they should cooperate with the government and abide by the law. Instead, they are hatching a conspiracy with the opposition against the government,” Baby said.
