A Bill, opening the gates of technical educational colleges and institutions of Gujarat for the students of other states, was passed in the state assembly on Tuesday by a majority vote, amidst opposition from the Congress.
With the passing of the Gujarat Professional Technical Educational Colleges or Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fees) (Amendment) Bill-2012, Gujarat will be in the league of states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, where, students from other states are allowed to study in unaided technical colleges.
"In the last 10 years, the number of approved seats in professional courses in the state has increased year on year. In the last two or three years, after completion of the admission process in the professional courses, considerable seats were found to have remained vacant in some disciplines," Education Minister Raman Vora said.
"To fill the vacant seats as well as to improve competition among our students, it is necessary to provide admission to students from other states within limit as may be decided from time to time," Vora told the state assembly, referring to the necessity to bring this Bill.
The Bill also seeks to exempt certain colleges or institutions, which have achieved the level of centre of excellence from all or any of the provision of this act, Vora informed the house, adding that state government will lay down the criteria and norms for a college or an institutions, which may be declared as centre of excellence.
Opposing the Bill, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Arjun Modhvadiya said that there was a huge gap between the fee structure of the government-aided institutions and private colleges in the state, and this Bill may further widen the gap.
"By conferring Centre of Excellence status to the private institutions, the government will empower them to take independent decisions on the admission process and the fee structure, which should be under government's purview," Modhvadiya said.
"25 per cent of the seats, which are under the management quota, usually get sold, which is not in conformity to the prescribed guidelines," he alleged. At a time, when a regulatory body is required in the state to monitor the implementation of All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) guidelines, the government has brought a Bill in the house, which grants full autonomy to the private institutions, he said.