The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has vowed to attract investments in the higher education sector to provide an impetus to turn Kerala into a higher education hub.
The government will examine “opportunities” to establish foreign university campuses in accordance with the new University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines “without compromising on the principles of transparency and equality.”
The State Budget reiterated the government’s decision to establish private universities.
Policy shift
The decisions, various quarters allege, complete a policy shift that commenced at the State conference of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] two years ago that had endorsed privatisation in the sector. The stance also marks a volte-face from the anti-privatisation policy that the party had championed vigorously. Students Federation of India activists had manhandled former bureaucrat and former Vice-Chairman of the State Higher Education Council T.P. Sreenivasan in protest against a conclave organised in Kovalam to foster collaboration with private and foreign institutions in 2016.
Investment policy
The government has also announced plans to formulate a higher education investment policy that will include special incentives and packages to attract investments for establishing new higher education institutions. Such institutions, which the government hopes will match global standards, will be set up in partnership with reputed national and international educational institutions.
Components such as single-window clearance for all required recognitions; relaxation in stamp duty, transfer duty, registration charges; subsidised rates for water and electricity; tax relaxation; and investment subsidy on capital will be part of the investment policy.
While reasserting the State’s aspirations to become a higher education hub, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal highlighted the need for establishing world-class institutions to check student emigration. It has been estimated that 4% of the total Indian students going abroad (numbering around 13.2 lakh in 2022) are from Kerala.
As part of such efforts, the Higher Education department will constitute a task force of academic experts to rope in expatriate academic experts to utilise their expertise in the sector. Four regional conclaves will be held in Europe, the U.S., Middle East, and Singapore during the months of May and June to bolster the endeavour.
A Higher Education Transformation Initiative Global Conclave will be held in the State in August. The contours of the proposed higher education investment policy will be finalised during the programme. The Kerala State Higher Education Council will be entrusted with coordinating such plans.
