PMK leader Anbumani has urged the Tamil Nadu government to provide tuition fee assistance to students from backward, most backward, and minority communities studying in private arts and science colleges in Tamil Nadu.
In this regard, he said in a post on his 'X' page:
The Tamil Nadu government has ordered an increase in the annual tuition fee assistance provided to students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes studying in private arts and science colleges in Tamil Nadu, from 4 times to 8 times. The increase in the scholarship, granted after 15 years, is welcome. At the same time, denying tuition fee assistance to students from backward classes, most backward classes, and minority communities is a major social injustice.
In order to improve the educational status of students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, reservation is provided for admission in government arts colleges. For students studying in private colleges whose family annual income is less than Rs. 2.50 lakh, annual tuition assistance is being provided with the aim of easing their fee burden. Since this assistance amount had not been increased after the year 2011, the annual tuition assistance for B.Sc. and B.Com. students has now been increased by 295% from Rs. 2,850 to Rs. 11,250. The assistance amount for M.A. students has been increased from Rs. 1,350, and the scholarship for M.Sc. and M.Com. students has been increased from Rs. 2,850 to Rs. 12,000.
The scholarship of Rs. 1,350 that had been provided to B.A. students will be increased by 733% and given as Rs. 11,250. The same amount will also be provided to B.B.A. students. In addition, it has been announced that educational fee assistance will be provided to 11 more undergraduate students at the rate of Rs. 11,250 per year and to 10 postgraduate students at the rate of Rs. 12,000 per year.
Considering the steep increase in tuition fees in private educational institutions and the fact that the educational fee assistance for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students has not been increased for the past 15 years, this increase in scholarship is fair and necessary.
At the same time, such tuition fee assistance is not being provided to students from the Backward Class, Most Backward Class, and Backward Muslim communities. Reservation is being provided in admissions to government arts and science colleges. Since free education is provided to all students in government colleges, tuition fees are not an issue for students studying there. However, students from the Backward, Most Backward, and Backward Muslim communities studying in private colleges are struggling to pay their tuition fees. They too should be provided with tuition fee assistance.
Although free education is provided in government arts and science colleges, quality education is not being delivered. More than 9,000 assistant professor posts are vacant in government arts and science colleges. In those positions, 8,083 guest lecturers have been appointed. Since the quality of education in government colleges has deteriorated, the practice of most students avoiding them even when they get a seat and instead joining private arts colleges is increasing.
For example, in the 2022-23 academic year, 108,748 students enrolled in the first year of undergraduate studies in 170 government colleges. However, last year, even though the number of colleges increased, student enrollment fell to 96,000. At the same time, in private arts and science colleges, first-year student enrollment, which stood at 194,306 in 2023-24, has crossed 260,000 in 2025-26. In private arts and science colleges, around 1 million students are pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies, and the majority of them belong to the Backward, Most Backward, and Muslim communities.
Among them, a significant number are unable to afford college tuition. For most of them, their parents have to borrow money to pay the fees. Students or parents are not responsible for this situation. The Tamil Nadu government is responsible for it. If the government had increased the number of government arts colleges and appointed qualified assistant professors in them to provide quality education, students from backward classes would not have been forced to enroll in private colleges to pursue their studies. Therefore, the government itself should bear the burden of tuition fees for backward-class students studying in private colleges.
In order to fulfill that responsibility, the government should come forward to provide annual tuition fee assistance to students from Backward, Most Backward, and Backward Muslim communities, just as it is provided to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students studying in government arts and science colleges. He has requested that the Tamil Nadu government implement this scholarship scheme starting from the current 2026-27 academic year.
PMK President Dr Anbumani Ramadoss Statement
BC, BCM, MBC Students in Private Colleges Must Also Be Provided Annual Tuition Fees Scholarship!
