Kerala opens doors for private universities in state, passes bill in Assembly

The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill enabling the establishment of private universities in the state. The Kerala State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill, 2025 was passed through a voice vote following extensive discussions held over two days.  Higher Education Minister R. Bindu introduced the motion for passing the bill, addressing key amendments and suggestions.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan clarified that while the UDF was not opposing the bill in principle, they urged the government to conduct a thorough study before its implementation. He also proposed that priority should be given to well-established and credible corporate education agencies in the state when setting up private universities.

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While most Opposition parties did not strongly oppose the Bill, Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) legislator K.K. Rema voiced strong objections, demanding its complete withdrawal.

Responding to the concerns, Higher Education Minister R. Bindu assured that private universities would operate under strict social regulations and government oversight. She emphasized that the Bill was not introduced hastily but was the result of continuous efforts to strengthen public universities and align Kerala’s higher education sector with global standards.

Following discussions, Speaker A.N. Shamseer called for a voice vote, after which the Bill was officially passed.

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• Kerala
• Pinarayi Vijayan