Overview
- The Higher Education Minister, Govi Chezhiaan, said the draft law will be sent for a proper review on the advice of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
- The measure had cleared the Assembly last week and proposed a new Brownfield category to let existing private or government‑aided colleges convert into private universities.
- The draft also lowered minimum land requirements from 100 acres to 25 acres in corporation areas, 35 in municipalities or town panchayats, and 50 elsewhere, with officials citing urban land scarcity and rising prices.
- The government said the intent was to simplify procedures and expand university capacity while assuring adherence to reservation in admissions and hiring, fee regulation, and protection of employee welfare.
- Opposition parties and teachers’ and employees’ groups contended the plan would corporatise higher education and erode access for marginalised students, prompting the state to seek views from educationists, experts, and department officials before any next step.