Tamil Nadu bill allowing aided colleges turn private universities sparks reservation, fee, job loss concerns

Expressing a multi-fold concern, the Association of University Teachers has opposed the Tamil Nadu government's bill to amend the private universities act, allowing the government-aided colleges to convert into private universities. The DMK government introduced the Tamil Nadu Private Universities Amendment Bill in the assembly today.

While the current Act only allows the greenfield institutions to become private universities , the proposed amendment will enable existing private colleges to get university status under the name of "brown field university". The bill also brings to the table a “minority private university” category which will allow the linguistic and religious minorities to establish universities under Article 30 of the Constitution.

AUT is concerned that the bill might lead to exorbitant fee hike and pose a threat to jobs of teaching and non-teaching staff while directly impacting the reservation policy thus affecting social justice. It fears that the aided-colleges, "long recognized as the stepping stones of higher education for poor and marginalized students" will be converted into private corporate entities.

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Teachers and staff who are currently enjoying government-paid salaries, grant-in-aid schemes, leaves, DA, health fund, and pension benefits would be subjected to "arbitrary and exploitative private management practices" without job security or retirement benefits. The teachers' association also pointed out to possible irregularities in examination and evaluation system as a result.

As per reports, the bill strongly opposed by former higher education minister K P Anbazhagan is expected to get a green signal in the current assembly session.

Changes in reservation policy

Among the major changes as part of the draft amendment is that 65% of seats in non-minority private universities and 50% seats in minority universities will be earmarked for government quota, the TNIE reported.

Additionally, if a college becomes a private university, the quota would only apply to medical, dental, allied health, and Indian medicine abandoning engineering, arts, and science fields.

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AUT believes that the step would shift the admission process from a merit-based to a money-based system denying opportunities to poor and marginalised students. The association reportedly asserted that around 2 lakh arts and science students and 40,000 engineering students would be affected in terms of both reservation and fee.

Demanding the withdrawal of the bill, AUT said, "In the light of these concerns, AUT firmly demands that the proposal to convert Government-Aided Colleges into Private Universities be dropped immediately in the larger interest of maintaining equitable, affordable, and quality higher education in Tamil Nadu."