The government is against granting autonomy to more colleges in the State, Minister for Education C. Ravindranath told the Assembly on Monday.
The University Grants Commission notified new norms in this regard on February 12 this year and the Union government published the same in the Central Gazette, the Minister said while replying to questions. The norms were for increasing the number of autonomous colleges, Mr. Ravindranath said. The government was against the move of the Centre as it would trigger further commercialisation of the higher education sector. The public should oppose the move of the Centre, he added.
Asserting that the government had no plans to increase the number of autonomous colleges from the present 19, Mr. Ravindranath said the State government was for giving academic autonomy to colleges. The colleges in the State could not be compared with those in the U.S., he said.
The State Higher Education Council had set up a three-member panel to look into the functioning of self-financing colleges and autonomous colleges in the State and on how to improve their academic level. Based on their report, the Education Minister said the government would take appropriate steps on autonomous colleges.
Drive against colleges
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who intervened, said the government would examine the campaign being carried out against autonomous colleges.
The government was for academic intervention in the higher education sector. Master plans were ready for engineering colleges to upgrade them to international level and cater to the needs of the industry and society. “The focus is on library and laboratory rather than buildings,” he said.
A scientific approach would be adopted by the government for starting new courses in the engineering, higher education and University levels and in streamlining the existing ones. Steps were on to roll out a uniform examination schedule and online admission to the colleges under the initiative of Calicut University, he said. A portal was also being planned, he added.
