The claim by the ruling CPI (M) that Kerala is the country’s knowledge hub and role model for other countries in the field of higher education fell like a pack of cards as the Congress-led Opposition churned out facts and figures in the Assembly exposing the hollowness behind the Government’s stance.
Mathew Kuzhalnadan, a first time MLA of the Congress party while introducing a calling attention motion on the total failure of the State’s higher education sector told the House that the exodus of students from Kerala to other countries is increasing by leaps and bounds. “The year 2016 saw 1.5 lakh students leaving the Kerala shores to Europe, America and Australia while the figure shot up to 2,50,000 by 2023. This data was prepared by the Government’s own Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) and Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation and speaks a lot about the setback suffered by the institutes of higher learning in the State, said Kuzhalnadan. .
While the Congress leader was firing on all four cylinders. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan delivered a knockout punch by issuing an order as the Chancellor of the Universities asking the dismissed vice-chancellors who had challenged their removal in the High Court as well as Supreme Court to fight the cases with their money. The Governor also asked them to return Rs 1.13 crore spent by them from University funds as court expenses because “this has no justification of any kind”.
R Bindu, minister for higher education and spouse of CPI (M) polit bureau member A Vijayaraghavan, belittled Kuzhalnadan by alleging that the member was trying to make a mountain out of molehill. “Kerala’s higher education sector is the best in the country and is drawing thousands of students from abroad to our State. The Chandrayaan mission became a success only because of 95 per cent of scientists and engineers working in it were from Kerala. There is nothing surprising in students leaving for foreign countries for their studies. Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar had their education in Great Britain while Muslim League leader Panakkadu Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal had his higher education in Cairo,” said the minister.
The legislative assembly debate was held in the backdrop of girl students in Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) complaining to the University authorities and Police about sexual abuse by PK Baby, Students Welfare Director and syndicate member. “The UGC has not sanctioned any post like student welfare director but Baby was appointed to these posts flouting all norms by a powerful minister from Ernakulam who has set his eyes on the chair of chief minister,” said RS Sasikumar, chairman, Save University Campaign.
Kuzhalnadan said the falling standards of education in Kerala is because of the outdated ideological interagency. Neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are way ahead of Kerala even as our youth leave the state saying that any country is better than this state.
Persons with IT qualification get Rs 5,05,000 per year as salary in Kerala while their counterparts in other states earn twice and thrice this amount. No purpose will be served by pushing these issues under the carpet,” said the Congress leader.
While the minister told the Speaker that there was no need to discuss the matter as an urgent motion, Leader of the Opposition VD Satheeshan expressed his shock over the Government’s refusal to discuss a report prepared by its own departments.
Sasikumar said that the marks awarded to SFI leaders, the granting of Ph D degrees for sub-standard thesis and the high handed behavior of CPI(M) youth wing have made the universities in the State a Augean stable.