Education no more a service to society, laments Madras HC

The Madras High Court Tuesday lamented that education is no more a service to the society and it has been completely commercialised, particularly by private educational institutions. Justice T Raja made the observations while hearing two separate pleas moved by Association of Management of Private Colleges based out of Coimbatore and Madurai Kamaraj University Private Colleges Management Association.

The associations wanted the court to call for the record of a government order dated August 31, 2018 constituting fee fixation committee to fix fee for courses by private arts and science colleges.

"I paid Rs 340 per annum as tuition fee for BL course in Madurai Law College. But what is the fee collected now by private colleges for the same course?" Justice Raja asked. Noting that such issues cannot be settled unless fee fixation committees are formed, the court ordered notice to the state government returnable by January 31.

When the plea came up, counsel for the petitioners G Sankaran submitted that private arts and science colleges are directly monitored by the University Grants Commission and are governed by the the Tamil Nadu Private Colleges (Regulation) Act, 1976 and Rules made thereunder. "The fact remains that the UGC has not framed any model fee structure for such colleges. The colleges are free to fix fee for courses at their own level.

While so the state has constituted the committee mandating all the colleges to get their fee structure scrutinised by it," Sankaran said. The petitioners submitted that in the absence of codified procedure, the order suffers serious infirmity and accordingly it is liable to be set aside.