Because we are different.

Private education Bill passed amidst Opposition walkout

6 July 2012

statesman news service  

KOLKATA, 6 JULY : The Techno India University West Bengal Bill 2012 was passed along with The Kazi Nazrul University Bill, 2012 and The Coochbehar Panchanan Barma University Bill in the state Assembly today amid an Opposition walkout.

Suci legislator Tarun Naskar was among the few who raised a voice of opposition to the Techno India University Bill. He said that the present government was following the path of the Left Front which had ushered in privatisation of education. With no mention of UGC or AICTE in the Bill, there seems to be no authority to check the educational  standards of this private university, he said. Commerce rather than education seems to be the object of this university, Mr Naskar said. There appears to be no way to limit the fees of the students, he said.  

State higher education minister Bratya Basu, however said the private university will alleviate the lack of sufficient seats in the under graduate courses. It will open branches in Junglemahal and Darjeeling and the council running it will be ratified by the state government every year, it will be accountable to the government, he added.

Moving the Kazi Nazrul University University Bill, 2012 and Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University Bill, 2012 together, the minister said that it will fulfil a long-felt need of universities in south and north Bengal.  While 34 colleges in Burdwan and Birbhum will be affiliated to Kazi Nazrul University, 25 colleges from Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri will be affiliated to Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University.  

The foundation stone of the north Bengal university is scheduled to be laid on 11 July, Mr Basu said. There is no need to add Islam to the university's name as the poet is universally known as Kazi Nazril, he said.  

The Leader of Opposition, Dr Surjya Kanta Mishra, said at his chamber in the Assembly:  “There was no mention of these Bills during successive Business Advisory Committee meetings and we had no time to even go through the Bills. We tried to raise Point of Orders, but the Speaker tells us that it wouldn't be recorded.  

"We tried to say that during the LF rule, private help was sought only for technical education but not in the general education field.” Dr Mishra said. But we were not given the chance to move amendments, he added.