The Hindu : Cabinet drops 11 applications for B.Ed. colleges

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 15, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Cabinet drops 11 applications for B.Ed. colleges

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 14. The Government will give no-objection certificates to only 64 applications this year to start B.Ed. colleges, on the basis of a legal advice from the Advocate General, the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, has said.

Briefing presspersons after a Cabinet meeting today, he said the Cabinet had last month decided to drop 11 colleges from the original list of 75 and substitute it with another 11 colleges. But the Advocate General had now recommended that only 64 applications should be given NOC this year following objections.

(The Education Department had actually issued NOC for 96 colleges a fortnight ago though the Cabinet had cleared only 75. With today's decision, NOC given to a total of 32 colleges will have to be withdrawn.)

Lok Ayukta probe

The Government will seek an inquiry by the Lok Ayukta into the complaint of the Metropolitan of Jacobite Syrian Church, Yuhanon Mar Phelexinos, that Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders had sought bribe from him for clearing his application for a B.Ed. college.

The Chief Minister said he had received two letters of complaint from the Metropolitan and these would be referred to the Lok Ayukta with a request for inquiry. The Chief Minister said the Metropolitan had alleged that the Wayanad district leaders of IUML had sought money from him for giving no-objection certificate (NOC) for the college.

The Bishop had not mentioned the name of the Education Minister, Nalakath Soopy, in any context, Mr. Antony said. As to the other cases, they were all before the High Court. He was only acting on the specific complaint he had received. "The Government will not disregard any complaint," he said.

Report filed before court

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court was informed by the State Government that it had directed the Expert Committee to exclude 11 applications for B. Ed. colleges from the list of 75 institutions for which the Government had decided to grant NOC.

In a report filed before the court, K.K. Santhakumar, Additional Director, Collegiate Education Directorate, said the direction to exclude these colleges had been ordered on the basis of serious complaints received against them. The report was filed by P.C. Iype, State Attorney, on behalf of the Additional Director in response to a direction for filing a report regarding the infrastructure and other facilities available with the colleges which had been granted NOC.

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