By Najiya O., TwoCircles.net,
Kochi: The Kerala government’s policy regarding self-financing colleges is the new headache for the ruling LDF alliance after the slight defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. All major student organizations along with the opposition parties in the state have come openly against the government’s policy, accusing it as being against the minorities and helping the managements.
“The Kerala Professional Colleges (Institutions) Bill should be cancelled,” said PK Firose, state president of the Muslim Students Federation, students’ wing of the Muslim League. “The Bill is totally against minorities and the backward classes. The education minister has no sincerity at all in the matter. The MSF has decided to strengthen its agitation against the government’s policies. Its further activities will be decided in the state committee meeting to be held on July 31,” Firose added.
“The LDF and its student organizations are cheating the students of Kerala,” said Ajmal, state president of the Campus Front, students’ wing of the Popular Front of India. “Earlier these very parties fought in the streets against self-financing colleges. Now they are supporting and helping them. Through the Bill, the government increased fees to a very high rate. Then it disrupted the very idea of allotting 50% merit seats (in the professional colleges) on government fees. The government let its organizations protest against this and put an end to talks on the matter. Now the problem is treated as if it is a problem between the ministers, within the LDF. The state and central governments should take the matter seriously and make laws to control the managements,” he added.
The Students Islamic Organisation has launched a campaign against the education policy of the state government. The opposition UDF has decided to come strongly against the Bill and other anti-people, especially anti-minority, moves of the LDF government. PK Kunhalikkutty, state general secretary of the Muslim League, stated last day that the UDF would amend the Bill once it came to power.
Self-financing colleges were introduced in the professional education sector by the UDF government in its last term. The idea was brought in such a way that two self-financing colleges would be equal to a government college. According to that, 50% seats in self-financing professional colleges should carry government fees and admission should be based on merit. The rest 50% only went to the professional college management. However, the agreement was disrupted once the colleges came into being. Ever since, admissions to and fees structure of the professional colleges have been one of the biggest problems in the state.
In the new Kerala Professional Colleges (Institutions) Bill introduced by the LDF government, there are three types of fees. If the SC/ST and OBC students getting admissions in merit seats will have to pay high fees, this will force them to choose reservation seats. This will decrease the chances of reservation for other students in the communities. The anti-minority nature of the Bill has been highly criticized by educationists too, along with opposition political parties and other student organizations.