Association of University Teachers opposes Private Universities Amendment Bill

The Association of University Teachers (AUT), Tamil Nadu, has opposed the State government’s move to amend the Tamil Nadu Private Universities Act, 2019 creating a provision to convert government-aided colleges into private universities under a ‘Brown field University’ nomenclature.

In a statement on Wednesday, the AUT expressed concern over probable exorbitant fee hike for students, job threat to teachers and non-teaching staff, and a direct impact on the reservation policy thereby affecting social justice.

The statement said that the move would shift the admission process from a merit-based system to a money-based one which would have a bearing on opportunities for poor students. It stated that nearly two lakh Arts and Science students and 40,000 engineering students would be affected, both in terms of reservation and fee structure.

Teachers in these colleges enjoyed salaries paid by the government as per UGC and Ministry of Education norms, service conditions governed by the Private Colleges Regulation Act, 1976 and the Grant-in-Aid Scheme of the State, and leave rules, dearness allowance, health fund, and pension benefits as per government norms. The statement, undersigned by AUT general secretary K. Raja, said that once the colleges were converted to private universities, these benefits would cease to exist.

It urged the government to drop the Bill in the larger interest of equitable, affordable, and quality higher education in the State.