The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Selective sanctioning of unaided colleges mooted

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Thursday, Jan 03, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Selective sanctioning of unaided colleges mooted

Staff Reporter

Higher Education Council resolves to limit private-public partnership

Emphasis on strengthening public-funded system
Priority should be given to new generation courses

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Unaided courses and colleges should be sanctioned in a very selective manner from the academic year 2008-09 onwards, the Kerala State Higher Education Council has recommended to the government.

The general council of the HEC that met here on Wednesday resolved that NOCs be given for setting up unaided colleges only in those areas that do not have adequate numbers of such institutions.

Only aided courses should henceforth be sanctioned in government and aided colleges. Courses that would be run on the self-financing mode or even on the condition that there would be no additional financial commitment for the government need not be recommended.

The objective here, vice-chairman of the council K. N. Panikkar pointed out at a press conference on Wednesday, was to ensure that there was no private appropriation of public assets.

“Public-private partnership mode in government/aided institutions through self-financing courses need not be permitted,” the resolution passed by the general council reads.

New colleges/courses may be started in the government/aided sector depending on the financial resources of the government.

The emphasis should be on strengthening the public-funded system, diversification of courses and ensuring maximum geographical distribution of colleges/courses within the State.

Priority should be given to new professional colleges/new-generation courses. Preference should be given to those disciplines that have not “fully opened up.”

In the unaided sector, preference may be given to institutions under government control.

Unaided colleges or unaided courses in unaided colleges may be recommended subject to certain conditions as spelt out in an undertaking to be signed by the management prior to the granting of NOC. As per the list of conditions prepared by the council, unaided courses and colleges could be started only after the management provides adequate infrastructure.

This was to be certified by the affiliating university. The admission procedure and fees would be as decided by the government from time to time.

Similarly, the fee to be collected would also be decided by the government from time to time.

In addition to this, the government would have the final say in the appointment and service conditions of teaching and non-teaching staff, and in the formulation of the institution’s governing structure, the council meeting resolved on Wednesday.

The council meeting also accepted the reports submitted by the committees set up to suggest reforms in undergraduate education and to study the setting up of college clusters in the State, Dr. Panikkar said. The committee on college clusters recommended that clusters be set up in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur in the next three years.

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