Kerala CM defends Self-Financing College Act

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 5 (UNI) Defending the Self Financing Professional Colleges Act, Chief Minister V S Achutanandan today said the reason for bringing the law in a hurry was to facilitate the poor students take up professional courses, which was otherwise the domain of a few rich.

Talking to reporters at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on his arrival from Kolkata, he said the government did not see any mistake in bringing the Act in a hurry.

Poor students were not able to take up professional education as the self-financing professional colleges were charging heavy tuition fees and also demanding huge donations, he said.

Though the Act was brought out in a hurry, it emphasized that poor students should not be denied professional education because of funds.

Noting that the opposition had no rights to make remarks on the issue, Mr Achutanandan said the whole issue had worsened because of the previous UDF Government's policy.

The Opposition's remarks on the High Court verdict quashing some sections of the Act was not in the proper direction, he added.

He said the government would file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Kerala High Court verdict which quashed four important Sections in the Kerala Self-Financing Professional Colleges Act, 2006 terming them ''invalid and unconstitutional''.

UNI