Kerala - Kochi   

Increase public investment in higher education: Minister

KOCHI: Law Minister M. Vijayakumar has said that the government will not withdraw from investing in higher education sector.

In his inaugural address at the foundation day celebrations of the All Kerala Private College Teachers Association (AKPCTA) here on Thursday, the Minister said that public investment in higher education should increase considerably. Highlighting the educational policies of the LDF government, Mr. Vijayakumar said it would promote sustainable higher education by ensuring quality improvement and diversification of existing curriculum.

Pointing out that the government was committed to ensure access to higher education for students from every strata of society, the Minister said the government had introduced the Professional Colleges Act with the aim of ensuring merit and social justice. Unfortunately, the judiciary rejected several main clauses in the Act, he said. Admitting that the role of private educational institutions in higher education cannot be ruled out, Mr. Vijayakumar said that social control on such institutions was required. “We have to ensure merit and reservation for minorities in private colleges,” he said.

Delivering the keynote address, U.R. Ananthamurthy, renowned academician and chairman of the committee for formulating a higher education policy for Kerala, urged the government to make Malayalam, as the medium of instruction at the primary level. Spoken English could be offered to students to help them communicate effectively in the language, he said.

Dr. Ananthamurthy said he had actually mooted this recommendation during the previous UDF regime. But it was not accepted, he said. Suggesting that money should not be collected for teacher appointment in higher education, he said that an education commission could be formed to ensure quality and transparency in the selection of teachers. The selection of teachers for government and aided colleges could be made from this list, he said.

Recommending that interview should not be the sole criteria for selection of college teachers, Dr. Ananthamurthy said that pedagogical skills should also be tested before selecting a candidate. Select the best teachers and fill all vacant posts to ensure quality in higher education in the State, he added.

Thomas Joseph, national president of the All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation, A.P. Kuttikrishnan, president of AKPCTA, R. Mohankumar, general secretary, and Rajan Varughese, general convener of the jubilee celebrations, spoke.

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