Six private varsity Bills stalled in K'taka Assembly

In an embarrassment to the ruling BJP, lawmakers across parties successfully stonewalled six private university Bills in the Assembly on Thursday after they expressed quality and regulatory concerns.

The six proposed private universities are: GM University (Davangere), Kishkinda University (Ballari), Acharya University, Sapthagiri University, Vokkaligara Sangha University and T John University (all in Bengaluru).

The government introduced all the six Bills with the intention of having them passed in both Assembly and Council on Thursday itself.

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Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan moved the GM University Bill for consideration. Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri became the first member to express concerns.

"While it's good that private universities are coming up, how many are out-of-the-box and innovative? We see the same conventional engineering courses at a time when seats are going vacant. Show me which of these six universities is out-of-the-box," Kageri said, adding that lakhs of Indians go overseas for quality education.

Concurring with Kageri, Congress' Priyank Kharge said: "Statistically, we're creating the highest unemployed engineers in the world. We create more engineers than US and China put together."

Narayan argued that private universities will be autonomous with "flexibility and freedom" to design new courses, collaborate with foreign institutions and industry. He also added that the private universities will give 40% of their seats to the government.

Even BJP lawmakers were not comfortable with the Bills. "Withdraw these Bills," Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said. "Existing universities are suffering and the government wants to set up a university in every district."

Aravind Limabavali, a former higher education mininster, charged that private universities are fleecing students under the guise of fees. "What powers will the government have to regulate these universities? Neither governor nor the higher education minister has been given powers in these Bills," he said.

Flagged admission practices at private universities, Veeranna Charantimath claimed they do not come under AICTE or UGC control. "Withdraw the Bills for now. Make them 'autonomous' colleges instead of giving them 'university' status," he said.

Senior Congress lawmaker HK Patil urged the government not to push the Bills. "If it's urgent, promulgate ordinances. Passing these Bills without proper discussion won't bode well on this House," he said.

Sensing the overall reluctance, Narayan withdrew the GM Unviersity Bill from consideration. Law Minister JC Madhuswamy said the government will consider promulgating ordinances granting 'private university' status to the six institutions.

Karnataka already has 24 private and 11 deemed universities.