Education Minister Sabita Indra Reddy dismisses Opposition charge of favouring private parties

Hyderabad: Education Minister Sabita Indra Reddy on Tuesday dismissed the allegations of Opposition of favouring private parties behind Private Universities Bill, Education Minister Sabita Indra Reddy said the bill was brought to improve competitiveness and standards of education in the State.

She was replying the questions on the Telangana State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) (Amendment ) Bill, in the State Legislative Council.

Explaining the salient features of the proposed amendment (to the Act which has already passed in Assembly), she said improving competitiveness, educational standard and global powers were the main objective behind giving permission to five private universities in the State.

She said that Telangana is in 25-position among the all other states in the country, in allowing private universities.

However, welcoming the bill, BJP MLC N Ramachander Rao said that the State already has campuses of the deemed universities established earlier. However, in the name of improving the competitiveness and standards, he asked the government not to neglect the state universities and encourage private universities.

She found fault with the State government taking ages in the appointment of regular vice-chancellors and filling the faculty vacancies in the State Universities.

Giving his own experience being a member of the search committee of the appointment of VC, he said, "it took one day to interview the candidate and finalise the appointment in a week," he said.

Congress MLC T Jeevan Reddy lashed out at the State government for encouraging commodification and commercialization of education in the State. He accused the government of neglecting the State universities and encouraging those who made education a business.

He took strong exception to the provision to provide only 25 per cent of the seats in the admissions for the local candidates. The Congress MLC said it would not stand for the legal scrutiny.

He pointed out how Satavahana University and IIIT, Basara have no regular vice-chancellors for the last five years and 50 per cent or more teaching and non-teaching positions are vacant in the State universities.

Opposing the bill, Teachers MLC Alugubelli Narsim Reddy alleged that those who have been running engineering colleges in the state see their business no longer lucrative. Hence, they are opening new shops in the name of private universities in the State.

The Education Minister assured the members that the State government would take all necessary steps to strengthen the State universities.