(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Political parties holding a firm grip over the affairs of universities in Kerala have been rattled by the high level conference of all vice chancellors in the state convened by Governor P Sathashivam on Monday.
The conference to be held at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) at Cochin is viewed as a move by the governor who is the chancellor of all the 13 universities in the state to free the universities from the political stranglehold.
Sathashivam had signalled his intention earlier by rejecting the vice-chancellor nominees of the government for the Cusat and the Kerala University of Health Sciences. His decision to appoint Dr J Latha Director of Technical Education Kerala as the VC of Cusat has led to the resignation of local Congress legislator and a member of the senate Hibi Eden.
As a member of the three-member search committee Eden had thrown his weight behind A Ramachandran registrar of the Cusat but the Chancellor preferred Lata who was preferred by higher education additional chief secretary K M Abraham and University Grants Commission representative Dr S Baram. The latest appointment of Dr AKC Nair a well known paediatrician and chief of the Child Development Centre at Trivandrum Medical College as the vice-chancellor of the Health University is also not to the liking of the government which wanted former Public Service Commission member and head of the department of medicine at the Kottayam Medical College Dr Kesavankutty Nair to be considered for the post.
The Governor’s action is considered as a strong warning against apportioning the posts of VCs among the constituents of ruling fronts in the state. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) which is currently ruling the state had suffered a big blow recently when A V George nominee of Kerala Congress (M) the third largest constituent of the front was booted out by last Governor Sheila Dixit.
Trouble is also brewing for Calicut University V C Abdul Salam a nominee of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) the second largest constituent of the UDF with the students teachers and employees coming out openly against him. Salam has met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and expressed his willingness to quit the post.
In fact the Governor’s intervention in the affairs of the universities has some in the wake of a long-drawn face-off between the Calicut VC and all other stakeholders. The agitations being spearheaded by the unions of students teachers and employees have drowned all academic activities in the university for more than a month now.
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