SC order on CET in Kerala puts students in fix

With the Supreme Court allowing self-financing professional colleges to conduct their own entrance exams amid the ongoing tussle between the Kerala Government and the managements, the students who had already taken the Common Entrance Test (CET) are in a fix, lacking the means to pay capitation and huge fee.

The court verdict has also raised the question of social justice in professional education with the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) emphasising on upholding social justice while college managements asserting social justice was the responsibility of the government.

Stating the government would go by the court verdict, Education Minister M A Baby said it would continue to explore ways to ensure social justice in the operation of private self-financing colleges.

In its order this week, the Supreme Court had allowed a consortium of private medical and engineering colleges in the state to conduct a separate CET.

The Court granted the permission while admitting a petition by the Kerala Government challenging an order of the High Court, which struck down some provisions of the Kerala Professional Colleges (Prohibition of Capitation Fees) Act 2006 as ''unconstitutional.'' Mr Baby said the government would go in for legislation to ensure seats for SC/ST and Backward Community students in such institutions.

He also said though the managements had won the right to admissions, the P A Muhammed Committee appointed by the state government to fix fee and oversee the admission process had the right to examine the CET held by these colleges as per an earlier order of the High Court.

This could in a way help to maintain transparency in admission procedures. Mr Baby alleged the self-financing college management had ''cheated'' the Kerala society by violating their promise of admitting 50 per cent students from the government quota by charging state-prescribed fees.

However, Opposition Leader in the Kerala Assembly Oommen Chandy had said the recent verdict giving full freedom to the management in admission and fee structure could not be accepted.