Question

The system of charging higher fees for a professional course in the state was first started in the late 1980's by

• A. University of Kerala
• B. M.G. University
• C. Calicut University
• D. Cochin University

Answer 1

Answer:

A. University of Kerala

• The system of charging higher fees for professional courses, commonly referred to as the Capitation Fee system, was introduced in Kerala in the late 1980s.
• This policy was initiated by the MES (Muslim Educational Society), a prominent educational organization in Kerala, specifically for their self-financing medical colleges.
• The move marked the beginning of Self-Financing Professional Colleges in the state, shifting the landscape of higher education from a purely government-run model to a public-private partnership model.
• Historically, this led to significant debates regarding the commercialization of education, culminating in legal interventions and landmark Supreme Court judgments such as the Unnikrishnan J.P. v. State of Andhra Pradesh (1993) case, which set guidelines on fee structures.
• The T.M.A. Pai Foundation v. State of Karnataka (2002) judgment later expanded on the autonomy of unaided private educational institutions while emphasizing that admission must be based on merit and the fee structure must not lead to commercialization or profiteering.
• This systemic shift directly influenced the creation of the Kerala Professional Colleges (Regularization of Admission in Self-Financing Professional Colleges) Act, which aimed to regulate admissions and fees in self-financing institutions across the state.