According to a press statement released on Sunday, the Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Education and Anna University Teachers Association (MUTA) slammed the new Private Universities (Amendment) Bill that the state legislature enacted on October 17. The group said the amendment poses a serious threat to free education and social justice in the state.
MUTA’s statement described the bill as an extension of the 2019 act that set up private universities. The association argues that the latest changes would turn government‑aided colleges—currently supported by state grants—into private institutions. In the process, it says, public assets would be sold to private owners and the freedoms that give poor and marginalised students access to higher education would be taken away.
“It will deny students the chance to study under the free‑education policy and push higher education beyond reach of the under‑privileged,” the MUTA warned. The group added that philanthropic colleges founded to serve the community could become commercial ventures. It listed several risks: loss of reservation‑based admissions, scholarships and other social‑justice measures; skyrocketing student fees; and the disappearance of merit‑based entry into courses.
The teachers’ body also raised concerns about transparency and job security. It said private management would appoint staff at its own discretion, threatening the hard‑earned rights of teachers and support staff. The existing Private College Regulation Act of 1976, which guarantees benefits such as medical leave, pensions and salary payments, could become obsolete. The group argued that infrastructure and intellectual property created with public funds could be transferred to private hands.
MUTA called the amendment an “unacceptable atrocity” and urged the state government to withdraw the bill in the interest of students, teachers and society as a whole. The association’s statement was delivered from Chennai on October 19, the day after the bill was passed.
Source: ianslive
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