Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal on Wednesday defended his Budget proposals concerning foreign university campuses and private universities by portraying them as a requirement of the changing times.
In his reply to the general discussion on the State Budget in the Assembly, Mr. Balagopal said the Budget mentioned that opportunities for establishing foreign university campuses would be examined. Such proposals, according to him, were key to stemming the outflow of students from the State. Approximately 30,000 students were leaving Kerala annually. “Which means, Kerala is losing around ₹10,000 crore which would otherwise have been spent here,” he said.
In the past, the CPI(M) had opposed the advent of tractors in the farm sector to protect the employment of farm labourers. One cannot equate that situation with the present one where the younger generation was leaving the State not just for higher studies, but jobs and emigration as well, Mr. Balagopal said.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan ridiculed the CPI(M) for jettisoning its own declared stand on foreign universities. The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) had strongly opposed the move of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to facilitate foreign universities and educational institutions to set up campuses in India, he pointed out.
At the time, the CPI(M) had claimed that it would “lead to the creation of enclaves of high fees, elitist institutions which will further distort the structure of higher education in the country,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should personally tender an apology to former vice-chairman of the State Higher Education Council T.P. Sreenivasan who was assaulted by an SFI activist in 2016 at the venue of the Global Education Summit.
“There is nothing wrong in allowing foreign universities and private universities. But before doing that, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should apologise to him,” he said.
The 2024-25 Budget presented by Mr. Balagopal said “opportunities for establishing foreign university campuses will be examined in accordance with the new UGC guidelines without compromising on the principles of transparency and equality”. It goes on to say that steps would also be taken to establish private universities.
