The Hindu : Kerala News : Lok Ayukta serves notice on TKM college teachers

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Sunday, Jun 24, 2007
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Kerala

Lok Ayukta serves notice on TKM college teachers

Staff Reporter

On charges of harassing, victimising students

Thiruvananthapuram: The Lok Ayukta has ordered four teachers of the Kollam TKM Engineering College to show cause ‘why they should not be declared unfit to hold any teaching post in any of the professional colleges.’

The Lok Ayukta issued notices to Prof. Eugene Nazareth Pandala, Prof. Ramaswamy, Asst. Prof. Jolly John and Lecturer Mahesh Natarajan of the Department of Architecture on the charges of harassing, victimising and discriminating students in the matter of awarding internal assessment marks.

Earlier, three B.Arch. students of the college had moved the Lok Ayukta against certain ‘prejudiced’ teachers of their faculty. The students accused the teachers of ruining their future by intentionally failing them in the examinations. This was allegedly done by manipulating internal and sessional marks, particularly for the design paper that required submission of projects for in-house assessment. Teachers had a major say in awarding 67 per cent of the total 600 marks for the design paper. The students said they felt ‘victimised, frustrated, harassed and sorrowed’ by the ‘unfair’ actions of their teachers.

The students alleged that they were not allowed the use of expensive learning aids. Such tools were displayed only at the time of the inspection of the Council of Architecture, the agency responsible for renewal of the department’s accreditation. They alleged the faculty was poor and insincere.

(The TKM management has termed these allegations as ‘very unfair’ in its statement before the Lok Ayukta).

Teachers allegedly gave higher marks to students who seldom came to class or submitted their projects in time. Students who questioned the unfair practice were failed in the examinations. Certain teachers designed buildings for private parties and utilised the service of the students under the pretext of assigning them project studies. The students said their grievances were not redressed despite several pleas to the college authorities.

President’s intervention

In December 2005, the students petitioned President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The President ordered Kerala University to conduct an inquiry into the allegations, which he said “if true, is extremely serious matter.” The university appointed a sub-committee to investigate the matter. The committee, headed by the pro-vice chancellor, found that there was a prima facie case against the teachers. It recommended a Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) investigation after concluding that “some of the acts of the teachers revealed a criminal nature.”

C. Suresh Baby, Dy.SP-VACB, who conducted the Vigilance inquiry, found many of the allegations raised by the students to be true.

TKM’s stance

The chairman of the TKM governing body, S. H. Musaliar, told the Lok Ayukta that Professors Eugene Nazareth Pandala and Ramaswamy had been suspended from service. Asst. Prof. Jolly John, Anne John and Mahesh Natarajan had been warned. He said the college had the infrastructure and faculty for conducting its B.Arch. course.

A Division Bench headed by Lok Ayukta K. Sreedharan, and Upa Lok Ayukta N. Krishnan Nair considered the case.

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