Political JAC Chairman Prof Kodandaram, who has been in locking with horns with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who was his former comrade during Telangana agitation, on several issues of public importance. Now, he has taken up the issue of permitting private universities in the state.
After a couple of days of state cabinet approving the Private Universities Bill, to facilitate for setting up of private university in the state, he came on heavily against the government for brining such legislation hurriedly. The government is making moves to introduce the bill during ongoing Assembly session. He warned against brining drastic changes in education without detailed consultations at various levels.
Speaking at a round table conference organised by student organisations at Osmania University, he accused that the state government is bending towards private universities only to benefit corporate educational institutions. He demanded the state government to immediately withdraw that bill.
Recalling that dalits and tribals are being harassed even at autonomous institutes like University of Hyderabad, he asks how the government feels that private universities would not remain as a centres of discrimination and inequalities. Even he went to the extent of advising the students to prepare for an aggressive agitation on the lines of Telangana stir opposing this bill.
He also question the intentions of the state government in encouraging private universities. He accused that the government is blaming quality of education in government institutions without strengthening existing government institutions, not enhancing grants to universities and fills up vacancies in universities.
Also finding fault with the Telangana government from going back on its crucial promise of free education from KG to PG, Prof Kodanda Rao stressed the need for strengthening students movement to realise this dream.
