For decades, Kerala’s education system has been marked by a paradox: Even as school education thrived — and was held up as a source of the state’s pride — the limitations of its higher education system led many students to leave the state in pursuit of better options and greater opportunities. Last week’s decision by Kerala’s Left Democratic Front-led government to ratify a draft bill that would permit private universities to operate in the state has the potential to change this predicament, stem the outflow of students and, going forward, perhaps even transform the state into an education hub.
The draft bill marks a welcome shift in policy, especially in light of the CPM’s historical opposition to opening up the higher education sector to private players. The issue has, indeed, long been contentious. There have been massive protests against previous attempts to open up higher education, most notably in 1995 when, during an agitation against the Congress-led United Democratic Front government’s opening of a medical college in the co-operative sector, five Democratic Youth Federation of India workers were killed in police firing. The CPM had also vehemently protested against the AK Antony-led Congress government’s decision in 2001 to start self-financing engineering and medical colleges to address the issue of students migrating to other states for higher education, as well as the 2014 decision by the Oommen Chandy government to grant autonomy to reputed arts and science colleges in the state. There has since been a softening of its stance. As Higher Education Minister R Bindu pointed out last week, this was inevitable at a time when competition has sharpened. The decision taken last year to institute a four-year undergraduate format at all universities was also a step in that direction. Among the changes introduced were a uniform academic calendar and greater flexibility for students in choosing subjects, allowing them to design their own curriculum.
The latest move is yet another acknowledgement of the growing demand for greater institutional diversity, enhanced research opportunities, and world-class infrastructure. However, its success will depend largely on the regulatory framework that governs these universities. Kerala must now take care to ensure that private universities enhance, rather than undermine, the state’s academic ethos. This is an opportunity to be built on: Private universities can bring fresh investment, global collaborations, and interdisciplinary research that strengthen Kerala’s academic ecosystem. They can ensure that the ambitions of Kerala’s students, and also those of aspirants from other parts of the country, are met.
