It may not be advisable to bring together all institutions of an educational agency under the roof of one deemed university, as they do not share the same standards of access and quality at present, according to the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC).
The feasibility of conferring deemed university status on government / aided institutions alone may be considered by the government at present, subject to the criterion to be laid out by the government to ensure access and equity in higher education, said a report of the council submitted before the Department of Higher Education.
Senior officials of the department admitted that the council had flagged its concerns over conferring deemed university status on existing institutions, mainly on account of apprehensions about equity and excellence in higher education.
The report said that creating deemed-to-be universities involving both aided and unaided colleges or aided colleges with both aided and unaided courses would lead to privatisation of public assets in higher education. It may also make access and equity unattainable for marginalised sections of society, unless the government agrees to confer aided status on all institutions coming under the proposed deemed-to-be university, ensuring the movement of faculty and students across disciplines for facilitating multidisciplinary / interdisciplinary courses, it said.
Recalling that the A.K. Rajan panel had recommended bringing all deemed universities in Tamil Nadu under the purview of the government, the report said State universities were not able to allow students into autonomous colleges, as they were completely outside the purview of the centralised allotment process of admission implemented by universities. The situation may aggravate the operation of deemed-to-be universities in the State, it said.
Maintaining that some colleges aspiring for deemed university status had requested the government to issue a letter committing to protect the salaries of all its aided staff, the report said the aided stream had been completely extinguished in some States, which had conferred deemed university status on aided colleges. A broad level consultation may be initiated by the government at the earliest for evolving a policy consensus on the issue, it said.
