NOC waiver for self-financing courses aimed at avoiding delays, says minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Higher Education Minister Roji M John has defended the government's decision to remove the requirement for prior government approval and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to start new self-financing courses and increase seats in aided and self-financing autonomous colleges.

Speaking to the media, the minister said the move was aimed at promoting academic autonomy and avoiding delays in starting new courses.

"Kerala is the only state that has an NOC requirement for starting self-financing courses. No such condition exists in other states. Removing the NOC system will bring significant progress to the higher education sector," the minister said.

Responding to the Opposition's allegation that the government had offered excessive concessions to autonomous colleges, Roji M. John dismissed the charge as baseless. He said the priority was to ensure that students get access to educational facilities without delay. He also assured that there would be no changes to reservation policies or merit-based admission criteria.

The minister clarified that the exemption would not be available to all colleges. "Only institutions that maintain high standards have been granted autonomous status. The government has decided to amend the NOC-related provisions in the University Acts passed by the Assembly in 2014 and 2021," he said.

He also criticised Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing him of commenting on the issue without properly studying it.

Meanwhile, Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that the government's decision was intended to benefit private managements and claimed that a major corruption deal was behind the move. He warned that the new provision would undermine the quality of higher education.

SFI state secretary P S Sanjeev also said the organisation would launch a strong protest against the government order in the coming days.