BANGALORE: The Bill introduced recently by the Government to regulate the working of private professional colleges, would take away the autonomy that was presumed to have been given to the colleges by the Supreme Court judgments, according to R.L. Jalappa, MP and a member of the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK).

In a statement, Mr. Jalappa said that in the present Bill, there was no provision to give concessional fee to vulnerable sections of students. "It is the duty of the Government to provide professional education to the deserving Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, and also to meritorious students of other communities by way of providing scholarships, freeships and getting them loans from banks at an interest rate of three per cent to four per cent," he said.

He wanted the Government to provide funds in the budget. "Instead of constituting two committees, one panel should be set up under the chairmanship of a retired vice-chancellor of a medical university, who is better equipped to decide about fee structure and administration of the colleges," he suggested.

Mr. Jalappa said when the college founders set up the institutions, they had borrowed heavily from banks. But the managements, he noted, were now reduced to the status of subordinates to the Government. "They have all the responsibilities to provide accommodation, infrastructure and appointment of capable teaching staff, laboratory and library. But they cannot admit even one student of their own choice to help their local people or donors, and to those who serve the interests of the institutions," he said. He said the Bill defeated the initiative of private enterprises in professional education, a trend encouraged in the other parts of the world.

At present, besides the Government medical colleges, 25 private medical colleges produce about 3,200 medical graduates every year. Apart from one government dental college, 40 private dental colleges produce 2,800 dental doctors, and private engineering colleges bring out nearly 35,000 engineers each year. "The investment by the private professional colleges in medical, dental and engineering is about Rs. 3,000 crores. Nearly 40,000 persons, including teaching and non-teaching staff, are provided employment. Nearly 20,000 outpatients and about 10,000 in-patients are being treated in the college hospitals daily," he said.

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