Seeking leave for an adjournment motion on the issue, former education minister M A Baby said government not only allowed managements to charge high fees of Rs 3.75 lakh, but also violated the Supreme Court admission guidelines by allowing them to admit 15 per cent students under 'privilege' seats.
As per the agreement between the government and managements, students could be admitted to these seats irrespective of their ranks in the rank list of Entrance Commissioner and Examination conducted by managements, he said.
Replying to the notice for the motion, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said one of government's main achievements was in finding a solution to the self-financing college issue, bogged in court cases and disputes for a long period.
He said government would come out with a comprehensive plan to improve the quality and standard of higher education.
On the Opposition charge that government had surrendered to wishes of private managements, he said students' interest had been given topmost priority while signing the agreement.
About the privilege seat issue, he pointed out that it was a concept brought forward by the previous LDF government and that the UDF government had only extended the 15 per cent community quota benefit enjoyed by minority status colleges to all 16 private colleges in the state.
After the replies of Chief Minister Chandy and Health Minister V S Sivakumar, Speaker G Karthikeyan refused leave for the motion.
Before the walkout, Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan alleged that government had virtually allowed managements to "rob" students under the guise of helping them.
