Kerala - Kollam   

`Act will fulfil dreams of students'

Staff Reporter

DYFI national president says the Act is poised to become a milestone in the education sector

KOLLAM: K.N. Balagopal, political secretary to the Chief Minister and national president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, said here on Tuesday that the aim of 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) Act implemented by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government was to fulfil the educational dreams of students and parents. Inaugurating a symposium organised by the district unit of the Students Federation of India (SFI) on the Act, he said that it had no intention of creating conflicts with any sections.

Mr. Balagopal said the Act was poised to become a milestone in the education sector and already a national debate had been opened on the issue. The Act was a counter measure to prevent certain sections to trade and convert education into a commodity by exploiting a Supreme Court verdict.

Even the former Chief Minister A.K. Antony who as Chief Minister boasted about lavishly allocating self-financing professional colleges to those who come forward is lamenting over the allocations his (Antony's) Government had made. Mr. Antony had been betrayed by the managements of the self-financing colleges.

When the issue went to Supreme Court, the managements employed some of the top lawyers in the country while the United Democratic Front (UDF) Government half-heartedly argued the case. As a result the managements earned the verdict that they could make management quota admissions to all the seats whereas the agreement was 50 per cent on merit and the remaining 50 per cent as management quota, Mr. Balagopal pointed out. The new Act made provision for 10 per cent reservation to Scheduled Castes, 25 per cent to Other Backward Communities, 12 per cent to the economically backward and three per cent to the physically challenged. The managements got 15 per cent each as NRI quota and privilege seats as the management quota.

Speaking from the side of the managements, chairman of the Sree Buddha Education Trust K. Sasikumar said that the self-financing college issue had received such negative publicity that the managements of these colleges were being branded as anti-socials.

Mr. Sasikumar said that the root cause for the situation was that individuals were allocated professional colleges.

Agreeing that the Act did contain many good aspects, Mr. Sasikumar at the same time pointed out that the prosecution provision in the Act was anti-human and eclipses the good aspects.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

`Act will fulfil dreams of students'
Marooned fishermen rescued off Paravur coast
Two persons arrested on murder charge
Teachers' workshop on July 8, 9

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu