Thiruvananthapuram, 08 Nov (H.S.):

Keralam Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday demanded the immediate withdrawal of a controversial Higher Education Department circular, alleging that the government was opening the state’s higher education sector to commercial exploitation by private college managements under the guise of institutional autonomy.

In a Facebook post, Vijayan accused the government of diluting regulatory safeguards to allow autonomous aided and self-financing colleges to introduce unaided courses and increase student intake without obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the government.

He pointed out that Clause 5 of an earlier circular issued on September 11, 2026 (E2/184/2026-HEDN), explicitly required prior government approval for introducing new courses and increasing seats in government, aided and autonomous colleges.

Vijayan alleged that the latest relaxation effectively overturned these safeguards following pressure from influential private managements.

He said allowing institutions to expand courses and admissions without conducting proper assessments of educational requirements would encourage commercialisation and undermine existing regulatory mechanisms.

The Opposition Leader also accused the government of disregarding assurances previously given before the Supreme Court regarding restrictions on self-financing courses in aided colleges.

Questioning the timing of the decision, Vijayan sought clarification on why sweeping concessions were announced shortly after representatives of college managements met the Higher Education Minister.

He further alleged that dispensing with annual inspections and permitting institutions to inform the government about additional admissions only after completing the admission process could facilitate capitation fees, irregular admissions and violations of merit-based selection and reservation norms.

Vijayan warned that weakening government oversight would adversely affect students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and compromise equitable access to higher education.

He demanded a comprehensive legal examination of the circumstances surrounding the revised circular and called upon the government to restore the regulatory safeguards prescribed in its September 11 directive.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman