A NOC from the government is required to set up private universities in the state. UGC will not give permission to start a university without the NOC. Years ago, when several professional self-financing colleges were given permission, they had promised to give up 50 percent of the seats to the government. Therefore, the then Chief Minister had said that two self-financing colleges were equal to a government college. However, some colleges were unwilling to keep up their promise. As a result, cases and legal issues became regular every year. Many self-financed educational institutions, especially engineering colleges, which started then, have lagged far behind in education and have been shut down due to a lack of students. Many people, who started colleges on the strength of wealth, suffered setbacks due to their lack of experience in the education sector. Things would get worse if such people are allowed to start universities. Therefore, the government has decided to lay down clear conditions for starting private universities.

The government's position that private universities will be allowed only if reservation, merit and social justice are ensured has to be welcomed. The government stipulates that a certain percentage of seats be shared with the government and that scholarships be given to talented needy students. If there is a clear agreement on this in the beginning, then the private universities will not be able to go back. It is a good thing that private universities are coming up. Thousands of students from Kerala go abroad every year for medical studies and so on. It is estimated that Malayali students are flying to nearly 50 countries to pursue higher education. The migration of children for education can be avoided to some extent if renowned medical institutes come to Kerala. This is also a huge investment opportunity. At least Rs 1,000 crore will be required at the outset to start a medical college. The government will not have to pay a single penny for this. The number of unemployed people in the state is around 27 lakhs. It is impossible for the government to invest money and start companies to provide employment to all these unemployed persons. In this scenario, such investments from the private sector will help many locals to find employment. There is a condition that only institutions that have completed 20 years in the field of education can apply. These institutions should have also scored a NAAC grade of 3.26. At present, Tamil Nadu has 35 medical colleges in the private sector while Karnataka has 30. The face of the higher education sector will change if private universities come out under clear rules and regulations.