Kerala Assembly postpones vote on Private Universities Bill

The Kerala Assembly has postponed the passing of the Kerala State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill, 2025. This decision came after more than two hours of discussion, but the Assembly could not finish the proceedings before the scheduled closing time of 6 p.m. Members were also set to attend an Iftar feast hosted by the Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan. Higher Education Minister R. Bindu opened the debate, highlighting that the bill contains important safeguards. She mentioned that more rules would be created later to oversee private universities. This bill is part of a plan recommended by a commission for reforms in higher education back in 2022. However, the current Left Democratic Front (LDF) government postponed the legislation to strengthen public institutions first. Minister R. Bindu noted the achievements of the Pinarayi Vijayan government, which focused on improving government schools. This effort resulted in an increase of five lakh new enrollments. The current administration aims to enhance higher education, with Kerala's universities receiving high NAAC grades and notable rankings. Concerns were raised about the proposed reservation norms in the bill. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) legislator Abid Hussain Thangal pointed out that 40% of seats would be reserved for permanent residents of Kerala. He warned that this could lead to legal issues based on a Supreme Court ruling against such reservations for medical courses. Minister R. Bindu responded that the ruling would not apply and that the bill includes provisions for government intervention if needed. IUML legislator T.V. Ibrahim criticized the CPI(M)-led coalition for changing its position on private involvement in education. He also expressed disappointment that the bill does not require private universities to be established only by organizations with prior experience in education.