The Kerala State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill, 2025, was introduced in the Assembly on Monday, March 3.

The Private Universities Bill, which has been referred to the Subject Committee, comes a decade after the CPM-affiliated student body SFI staged a violent protest against the Global Education Summit organised by the Kerala State Higher Education Council in 2016. The Council's then vice chairman and former India ambassador T P Sreenivasan was slapped by an SFI leader for championing the significance of private universities.

Now, the CPM claims that the Bill is not a radical departure from ideology as it satisfies three social conditions. One, unlike during the UDF tenure, private universities are being ushered in only after public universities in Kerala have been strengthened. Two, 40% of the seats in private universities will be reserved for students who are permanent residents of Kerala. And in this 40%, the existing reservation system in Kerala will be followed. Three, there will be scholarships and fee concessions for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students. Higher education minister R Bindu told the Assembly that none of the private universities in any other state has insisted on any of these conditions.

To establish a private university in Kerala, a 'sponsoring body' (a trust registered under Indian Trusts Act, 1882, or a society registered under the provisions of anynexisting Act) should constitute an endowment fund of at least Rs 25 crore and should possess at least 25 acres of land at the place where the headquarters or registered office of the University is proposed. At least 50% of the land should be used for academic and administrative purposes.

Any sponsoring body intending to establish a university should submit an application containing the proposal and the project report to the government along with the application fee that will be fixed from time to time. There will be a six-member Expert Committee to evaluate the application. The EC will be chaired by an academic expert from the field of higher education and will be nominated by the government. It will have as its members the vice chancellor of a public university, a nominee of the Kerala State Higher Education Council, a nominee of the State Planning Board and the Collector of the district in which the university is proposed to be established. The Higher Education secretary will function as the convenor. The final call will rest with the State Government.

The Chancellor of a private university will be chosen by the sponsoring body, and should be an academician of "high repute" or "a person of eminence in any of the fields including agriculture and veterinary science, technology, medicine, social science, humanities, literature, art, culture, law, industry, commerce or public administration". The Chancellor will hold the post for five years.

The VC will be appointed by the Chancellor and should possess the qualification and standards prescribed by the UGC. There will also be a Governing Council, Executive Council and Academic Council.

The proposed legislation grants the State Government the power to call for any information and records related to the university's administration. The government will also have the power to de-recognise a university after conducting an inquiry.

The legislation has been brought in to stem the migration of students seeking higher studies abroad. A detailed discussion on the Bill will be held later this month after it returns from the Subject Committee.