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The demand for private universities in Kerala has been a long-standing issue, with its impact becoming increasingly evident. International student migration from India is a growing trend and Kerala has become one of the top states in terms of students pursuing education abroad. The Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2023 estimates 2.5 lakh student emigrants from Kerala with Ernakulam having the highest number of emigrant students at 43,990. This sharp rise in student migration from Kerala has highlighted the state’s limited higher education opportunities. In response to this, the Kerala Cabinet has approved a draft bill for establishing private universities, marking a significant milestone in the state’s higher education landscape. The proposed Kerala State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill 2025 is set to reshape the future of private higher education institutions, bringing new opportunities while also presenting regulatory, operational, and financial challenges.

The debate over private universities in Kerala dates back more than a decade. In 2014, the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) proposed allowing private universities to address the gaps in higher education. However, the then Education Minister, P.K. Abdu Rabb, rejected the proposal, citing the government’s disapproval. This decision came despite KSHEC Vice-Chairman T.P. Sreenivasan’s strong advocacy for private investment to enhance the state’s higher education sector.

In 2016, the discussion gained further momentum when the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) and the Centre for Economy, Development, and Law (CED&L) hosted a panel discussion in Kochi, titled, “Opening up the Higher Education Sector in Kerala: A Way Forward.” During the session, T.P. Sreenivasan reiterated the importance of private universities in improving Kerala’s higher education landscape. However, concerns were raised by other panelists, who argued that private institutions might prioritize profits over academic quality, thereby widening social and economic disparities. The discussion reflected the deep divide in opinions regarding private entities in higher education.

The public higher educational institutions of Kerala are now facing serious criticism for its over-praised Kerala model education. The surge in student migration is justifying that, as per KMS 2023, student migration has doubled compared to the year of 2018. To tackle this crisis, the importance of establishing private universities has greater significance. By the year 2025 Indian students studying abroad are expected to spend up to $70 billion 1 . The students are willing to spend that amount for quality education. Through the establishment of high-quality private universities in Kerala, we can attract those investments in our
educational system and transform it into an international standard.

This webinar aims to revisit these discussions, evaluate the key provisions of the Kerala Private Universities Bill, and explore its potential impact on the state’s higher education system.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Private Universities Bill—How can it improve the declining Kerala’s public higher educational standards?
2. Criteria for Private Universities to start their campuses in Kerala  
3. Reservation of Seats
4. Comparison with Private university laws of other states in India
5. Impact of Migration of Students from Kerala

SPEAKERS

Prof. Dr G Gopa Kumar

Dr G Gopa Kumar is the former Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod. A leading political scientist and psephologist, he specialises in the areas of International Relations, Comparative Politics and Indian Politics. He has published 12 books and over 145 research articles. He was earlier Dean of Social Sciences and Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Kerala, UGC-Emeritus Fellow, ICSSR Senior Fellow, and has more than forty-one years of teaching experience in Political Science at the University level. He had also served as the Director General of the Institute of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Kerala, and as Director, V.K. Krishna Menon Study Centre for International Relations.

Dr Gopa Kumar has received numerous international and national awards and fellowships like Visiting Research Fellow, University of New South Wales, Australia; Australian Studies Senior Fellow; Salzburg Fellow, Austria; UGC-Indo-French Cultural Exchange Award; Fulbright Fellowship, USA (1998 & 2002); Shastri Mobility Fellowship (2017) and visited the University of Calgary, Canada to study on “Canadian Contribution in Internationalizing Higher Education in the era of Globalization”. He was also Visiting Faculty at Claremont Graduate University, USA and University of Calgary, Canada.

Dr Gopa Kumar is also a reputed political commentator on television news and a newspaper columnist where his objective and scientific political analysis is highly valued.

Dr Shakila  T Shamsu

Dr Shakila Shamsu was formerly Officer on Special Duty (OSD) – New Education Policy, in the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India (GOI). She has been the Secretary to the Committee to Draft National Education Policy. She was also the Nodal Officer of the flagship Government of India (GoI) Scheme of National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (NMTT). New initiatives of Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP), Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) and Faculty Induction Programmes were implemented during her tenure.

Prior to this, she held senior positions such as OSD (XII Plan) in MoE and Joint Adviser (Education) in the Planning Commission. Her core areas cover education planning and policy making, teacher education, ICT and Open & Distance Learning and inclusive education. Her academic career spans over 39 years in teaching and academics in the University of Mumbai and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), and over 14 years in the GoI.

She holds a PhD in Education, Gold Medalist for Masters of Political Science, PG Diploma in Distance Education and a Degree in Law. She has to her credit a number of articles in international journals, book contributions and was involved in the preparation of XI and XII Plan and several government reports on education. She has been a member of various Committees of the GoI, State Governments, UGC, USIEF National Selection Committees for Fulbright fellowships, etc.

MODERATOR

Jofi J Francis

Jofi J Francis is a public policy professional with more than 6 years of experience working with government officials, regulators, and NGOs in policy design, program implementation, legal analysis, regulatory compliances, and executive support.

She worked as the Kerala State coordinator in Kudumbashree National Resource organization for six years. Assisted in the development of context-specific proposals for program guidelines under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Program for Kerala and also Coordinated with District and Block Management Units under the Kerala State Rural Livelihood Mission to provide technical assistance in the Rebuild Kerala Initiative – Enterprise development program. She helped improve the existing MSME incubation programs and developed strategies, policies, and guidelines to support them in expanding their Non-farm Livelihood vertical.

She was also the Growth Consultant at the State Poverty Eradication Mission in advising State Government in promotion of various business programs in developing strategies, regulatory framework, policies and guidelines.

Jofi completed Masters in Public Policy and Governance from Azim Premji University, and Bachelors in Economics, securing 4th rank in Kerala University. Also selected as Campus Ambassador for Election Commission of India in 2017.

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