Development of self- financing education in Kerala, India: Perspectives and challenges

The present article is the outcome of a study conducted by the author in the context of Kerala perspective. The State of Kerala is known all over the world as an educationally advanced part of the country which has many outstanding achievements in the field of education, health, habitat, land reforms etc, generally constitutes what is widely known as ‘Kerala Model of Development’. Education has been recognized by the people of Kerala as the key stone of development even before independence. After independence the approach of state towards private education has changed considerably. The paper argues that the introduction of neoliberal policies in the state, followed by the central government's economic reforms led to the privatization of higher education and mushroom growth of self financing colleges in Kerala. It raises several problems in professional education for example, questions of access, social equity and justice. The author conclude with the argument that political, legal and constitutional issues intertwined with the self-financing education ultimately poses questions about denial of equity and justice to the weaker sections and deterioration of quality of professional education.