Date:17/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/17/stories/2008081754540400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

State seeks power to regulate deemed varsities

Special Correspondent

Karunanidhi writes to Human Resource Development Minister

Chennai: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has written to Union Human Resource Development Minister urging him to give State governments the power to regulate ’deemed to be universities’, Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy has said.

Further to the recent case, where the government had to forfeit 83 MBBS seats from Chettinad Medical College that was granted ’deemed to be university’ status before counselling for the government quota seats in the private college could commence, the Chief Minister decided to request for more regulatory powers.

Some of the areas that would have to be regulated include student admissions, fee structure and the quality of education that was being provided in such institutions, Mr. Ponmudy said in a statement.

In the engineering counselling this year, a total of 5880 seats had gone to students from the SC community, and 120 to students from ST communities.

He said all SC/ST students who had applied for engineering counselling were likely to get seats this year. The increase in the number of government, government-aided, self-financing and university engineering colleges over the years had facilitated this, Mr. Ponmudy explained.