CHENNAI: In a year, which is perhaps one of the most contentious in the history of the State's higher education, political parties have mostly chosen to think alike in their manifestos for the May Assembly elections.

On several fronts, the manifestos of major political parties — the AIADMK, DMK, MDMK, PMK, CPI, CPI (M) and DPI — read similar: free compulsory education for children under 18 years of age, up to 25 per cent reservation for rural students in professional courses, bringing the education portfolio into the State fold, free compulsory computer education and increasing the budgetary allocation for education. While the BJP manifesto does not say much on these issues, the Congress is yet to release its document.

District medical colleges

And then there are the mandatory promises about the continuance of social justice and reservation quotas and minority institutions, except for the BJP, which speaks about extending to all private educational institutions the privileges and concessions hitherto enjoyed by minority institutions. And, as if on cue, almost all parties have promised at least one medical college for every district.

Among political parties, the biggest chunk of commitment to educational reforms comes from the PMK. The party promises to increase spending on education to six per cent of State income, grant autonomy to higher education and technical institutions, regulate the functioning of self-financing colleges, rein in private/deemed universities and abolish the Common Entrance Test for admission to undergraduate professional courses.

DMK's manifesto

The DMK manifesto speaks about introducing Tamil as a medium of instruction in schools, turning all self-financing courses in government colleges into general courses and permitting only those domiciled in the State or working in State hospitals to seek admission to postgraduate medical courses while, at the same time, ensuring quotas.

Among other promises are payment of full tuition and hostel fees for poor students in professional courses and ensuring recognition for current courses in self-financing colleges that are caught in the tussle between the All-India Council for Technical Education and the University Grants Commission.

In line with the present Government's proclaimed commitment to abolish the CET for admission to professional courses, the AIADMK manifesto talks about ensuring a valid legal status for the abolition, doing away with special fees in schools and establishing engineering colleges on a par with the IITs in all major cities.

The MDMK would also do away with the CET, ensure that all school education till Standard X is only through the State board, use up to 25 per cent of the State budgetary income towards education and open at least 50 new medical colleges in the State.

The BJP manifesto steers clear of all these contentious issues and sticks to strengthening the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan movement and prevent distortion of history in school textbooks.

While both Left parties seek to take a clear stand against the increase in educational fees, the CPI would like to guarantee a new education policy and implement the Kothari Commission's recommendations on increasing budgetary allocation for education.

The CPI (M) also promises to rein in deemed universities and provide free compulsory education till Standard X.

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