Private universities have the potential to increase the quality of education in Kerala, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said.
He was speaking after receiving the report on the feasibility of setting up private universities in Kerala prepared by an expert committee constituted by the Kerala State Higher Education Council here on Wednesday.
Education Minister P.K. Abdu Rabb, who was present, said that he continued to be opposed to the idea of a private university in Kerala.
“I continue to oppose the idea of a private university, but finally in government it is not an individual’s idea that matters,” he said.
Vice-chairman of the Higher Education Council T.P. Sreenivasan presented the committee’s report to the Chief Minister and to the Education Minister.
Later addressing a press conference, expert committee chairman Cyriac Thomas said the track record of applicants for setting up private universities in Kerala should be exemplary. The committee in its report has insisted that only those agencies with at least 10 years of experience running a private university be entitled to apply for setting up such a varsity. If things go according to what the committee has recommended, there would be a widespread public debate on the credentials of each applicant for setting up a private varsity. So, there is no question of those with a dubious track record being allowed to set up a private university.
