State’s higher education sector going through the worst of times: Satheesan

The State’s higher education sector is going through the worst of times in history with the Universities being used to serve the petty political and personal vendetta games played by the government and the Raj Bhavan, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has said.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, Mr. Satheesan said that the conflict and confrontation between the government and Raj Bhavan, which have been going on for the past three or four years, is not something that served any public interest. With the government and Raj Bhavan continuing to taunt each other and playing political games, it was the State’s academic sector and the students who were losing out. Of the 13 universities in the State, 12 have no Vice-Chancellors. All university Syndicates are in conflict with Raj Bhavan.

He said the current conflict over the suspension of the Registrar of the University of Kerala and the developments that followed are all issues that could have been easily resolved. Yet, it is in the government’s interest to sustain this conflict.

Mr. Satheesan recollected how the government harassed and hounded Ciza Thomas, the former Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Technological University till courts ruled in her favour

He said that when the universities in all other States were moving forward, the ones in Kerala were regressing, because none had time to discuss the burning issues in the academic sector. The government and Raj Bhavan should stop the ongoing conflict for the sake of the future of the State’s students. There was a time when Kerala was at the top when it came to education and health. Now both sectors are in the doldrums under the current political dispensation.

Health Minister Veena George spoke of the “system’s failure” and it took a Left-leaning doctor to expose all that was wrong with the ‘system.” All public health initiatives which offered affordable care to people are at a standstill. The government owes over ₹1,800 crore as pending payments to public hospitals under the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhati . Arogya Keralam has been consigned to the ventilator now and the Opposition was firm in its demand for the resignation of the Health Minister, Mr. Satheesan said.