Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister Dr. Govi Chezhiaan has announced that the Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2025, introduced in the State Assembly on October 15, will be withdrawn following Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's direction.
In his statement, Dr. Chezhiaan clarified that the amendment was proposed only to simplify the procedures for establishing new private universities and allow eligible private colleges to upgrade into universities. The Bill aimed to reduce the minimum land requirement from 100 acres to 25 acres within corporation limits, 35 acres within municipal or town panchayat areas, and 50 acres in rural regions, aligning with policies in other states.
He assured that adequate safeguards had been included to ensure students, teachers, and non-teaching staff would not be affected. He said the Dravidian Model government would never compromise on social justice, reservation in admissions, fee regulation, or protection of employee rights, even while expanding opportunities in higher education.
Dr. Chezhiaan noted that Tamil Nadu already has one of the highest gross enrolment ratios in higher education in India, and the bill sought only to address the challenge of acquiring large contiguous land parcels in urban areas.
However, the proposal triggered strong reactions from legislators, academicians, and civil society, prompting the Chief Minister to direct that it be withdrawn after the wide range of views expressed in the Assembly and public forums.
Academicians also raised serious concern that the amendment, if enacted, could allow government-aided colleges to convert into private universities, potentially eroding social justice by ending reservation in admissions. They cautioned that it could commercialise higher education, lead to exorbitant fees, and deny opportunities to poor students. Some further warned that it might eventually result in full-scale privatisation, affecting faculty in aided colleges by depriving them of government-fixed salaries.
