The Meghalaya cabinet on Wednesday approved the St Xavier’s University Bill, 2020.
The draft bill was brought by the education department and the same was approved by the cabinet.
The proposed university will be run by the Jesuit (Society of Jesus), a religious order of the Catholic Church.
Deputy chief minister, Prestone Tynsong told reporters that the bill would be placed in the autumn session of the State Assembly which will commence on November 5.
“St Xavier is one of the most successful universities in the country,” he said.
The Society of Jesus has also established St. Xavier’s University at New Town in Kolkata in 2017.
The Meghalaya government has set up a regulatory board under the Meghalaya Private Universities (Regulation of Establishment and Maintenance of Standards) Act, 2012.
The regulatory board will ensure that private universities maintain the standards of infrastructure, teaching, research, examination and extension of services, fee structure, and safeguard the interest of the state.
The board will ensure that the student community gets quality education and avoid commercialization of higher education.
Tynsong said the proposal to set up the university has gone to the regulatory board and the board has granted his recommendation.
With the setting up of the St Xavier’s University, Meghalaya is set to compete with Assam that also has the Assam Don Bosco University.
Don Bosco University in Assam has attracted a number of students from Meghalaya who prefer to pursue various courses in the neighboring state, instead of their own state Meghalaya.
The North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) is the only central university in Meghalaya that students look up to but not other private universities that have mushroomed in the state.
