Agartala: On the fourth day of the Tripura assembly’s winter session, MLAs belonging to two major opposition parties, CPIM and Congress, staged a walkout protesting against a private university Bill passed on Wednesday.
Even as the opposition bench called for scrutiny of the Bill through a select committee, the Bill was passed with majority votes from the treasury bench.
Laying emphasis on the need to have a proper screening of private parties willing to set up educational institutions, Debbarma said, “Before giving approval to any institution, we have to know whether it has all his records right”.
“If I am not wrong, except Holy Cross College Agartala, not a single institution could achieve grade A in the NAAC review. This is quite astonishing given the fact that we have so many colleges spread all over the state. We have complaints of colleges running without principals. Considering all these things, I think this Bill should be sent to the Select Committee for the time being for a review by the experts,” Debbarma added.
CPIM MLA Jitendra Choudhury said, “I would like to remind the House that ICFAI university first came here in Tripura, a Bill was introduced in the state assembly in the year 2005 but on multiple occasions the Bill was sent to the select committee. Eventually, in the year 2010, the Bill was passed and now the university has emerged as one of the good institutions of the state”.
“Similarly, when Maharaja Bir Bikram University Bill was first introduced in the Assembly in the year 2015, the Bill was sent to select committee in keeping with the demand of the Opposition Leader. Since it is directly linked with the education and future of the students, I think the government should be extra cautious,” Choudhury added.
Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, on the other hand, sought to know whether the organisation that would set up the institution had any previous track record of running Universities and higher education institutes in the country.
In response, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha who moved the motion clarified that the Mata Tripura Sundari Open University is going will be the first open university in the state where working people would get a chance to complete higher education degrees through online and offline mode.
Dear Reader,
Every day, our team at EastMojo travels through rain, rough roads, and remote hills to bring you stories that matter – stories from your town, your people, your Northeast.
We do this because we believe in truthful, independent journalism. No big corporate backing, no government pressure – just honest reporting by local journalists who live and breathe the same air you do.
But to keep doing this work, we need you. Your small contribution helps us pay our reporters fairly, reach places others ignore, and keep asking the tough questions.
If you believe the Northeast deserves its own fearless voice, stand with us.
Support independent journalism. Be a Member.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
“The most important thing is that the institute will be self-financed. The state government is not doing any favor to them by providing land or other support. A plot of 5.2 acres is already procured where the necessary infrastructure would be constructed. The Himalayan Universal Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization based out of Delhi is the main parent body of the institution. Apart from Tripura, this foundation is successfully running colleges in UP, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunchal Pradesh and other states,” Dr Saha told the house.
The Chief Minister also informed that the University authorities would submit Rs 1.5 crore as endowment and general fund in two separate fixed deposits to the state government for use in emergency situations before calling all the MLAs to vote in favor of the Bill.
Also Read | Join BJP to learn “Modi-art” of winning elections says Tripura Minister