Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 16 (PTI) Kerala Higher Education Minister Roji M John on Thursday urged all the MPs from Kerala to oppose the “centralising provisions” of the VBSA Bill, 2025 introduced in the Parliament.
John, in a letter addressed to the MPs, said that while the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill has been presented as reformative measure, a careful reading of its provisions indicates concentration of “unprecedented powers” in the Centre, weakening of the constitutional role of the states and threatening the autonomy of the higher education system.
He said that while education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, so that both the Centre and states work together, the new Bill decisively shifts the balance in favour of the central government.
The minister claimed that various provisions of the Bill pave the way for the nullification of state laws and give the central government decisive power in making policy decisions and appointments in university administration and regulatory agencies.
He also alleged in his letter that new obligations are being imposed on state universities without ensuring necessary financial support, and the provisions, including huge fines, will create a serious financial crisis in the universities.
John further claimed that the Bill mandates a unified approach to curriculum and introduces a unified regulatory system instead of the existing UGC, AICTE, and NCTE, thereby adversely affecting the academic freedom and diversity of the universities.
“The cumulative effect of the Bill’s provisions is the gradual transformation of India’s higher education system from a federal network of autonomous institutions into a centrally directed administrative structure. Diversity, innovation, and institutional independence flourish when universities enjoy meaningful autonomy and they diminish when every significant decision flows from a single source of authority,” the minister said in his letter.
He urged all the MPs from Kerala to oppose the bill in its current form in the Parliament to protect the constitutional values of federalism, university autonomy, and academic freedom, and to work for legislation that strengthens center-state cooperation.
Considering the far-reaching implications of the proposed law, the Kerala government has already submitted its recommendations to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on July 1, he said in his letter. PTI HMP KH
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.