Govi. Cheziaan, Minister of Higher Education. | Photo credit: C. VENKATACHALAPATHY
The Tamil Nadu government has decided to withdraw and review the Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by the Assembly on October 18, in response to opposition from teachers’ bodies and a section of MLAs.
“Based on the observations of the members of the assembly, views expressed on social media and public forums and feedback from educators, subject experts and officials of the education department, the Hon’ble Chief Minister has requested to take appropriate action,” said a press release quoting Higher Education Minister Govi. Chezhiaan.
Pointing out that the government has yet to grant approval to the deemed universities that have not followed the state’s reservation policy, a major issue raised by teachers’ bodies and MLAs, the minister said the “Dravidian model” government is deeply committed to social justice in higher education and will ensure reservation in appointments and admissions, regulate fees and protect staff status.
Bill, Mr Gov. Chezhiaan said, it was submitted to simplify the rules for establishing private universities. In the face of rapid urbanization and the gradual increase in land values, finding large areas of contiguous land has become an obstacle to establishing new universities or converting existing ones. According to the bill, the land requirement was reduced from 100 acres to 25 acres in municipal corporation areas, 35 acres in urban panchayat or urban areas and 50 acres in other areas by amending Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Private Universities Act, 2019.
Published – 26 Oct 2025 01:01 IST
