Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 5 (IANS): Not long ago the Left in Kerala had opposed any form of privatization in the higher education sector, but on Monday, state Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal while presenting his fourth straight budget said the doors have been opened for private and foreign universities to open their campus.

As the first step for this, he said four international educational conclaves will be held outside the country.

For this, experts hailing from Kerala and those working in the higher education sector abroad will be drafted for taking forward this idea.

To fast track this idea, special packages will be introduced in the field of higher education.

Balagopal pointed out that all these changes were being made to ensure to attract foreign students to Kerala besides helping students from here presently going abroad for higher studies.

All along the CPI(M)-led Left in Kerala had staunchly opposed the entry of private sector in the education sector and when the K. Karunakaran government in the 90s planned to open up a few professional courses in the medical sector and also when the A.K.Antony-led government in 2001 opened up the professional education sector in the self-financing mode, there were huge protests.

Late Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had once remarked, “The bane of Kerala ... what matters is which government is bringing in the changes, when the Left does it, everything is fine, as they opposed tractors and even computers, but later changed their stand,”.