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Kerala Minister flays college managements

KOLLAM: Kerala Education Minister M.A. Baby has said that an “upper caste lobby” is trying to take control of the State’s education sector.

Inaugurating an educational conference organised in connection with the 11th State conference of the All Kerala School Teachers Union (AKSTU) here on Sunday, Mr. Baby said the private sector self-financing colleges had emerged as symbols of money power.

The Minister said the managements of such institutions were promoting anarchy which, in turn, was resulting in an escalation of suicides in the State. Private capital in the education sector was welcome. But anything and everything could not be permitted in its name.

He said there should be a decorum and social responsibility. No one should be under the impression that the government could be browbeaten. He alleged that in the name of minority rights, the managements of private self-financing colleges were engaged in violation of the Constitution.

The Minister said for the proposed higher education scholarship, the government would collect a fund of Rs.100 crore.

If land was available, the proposed off-campus unit of the Hyderabad-based English and Foreign Languages University would be opened in Kollam. AKSTU vice-president K. Chandrasenan presided. The former editor of Janayugam Thengamam Balakrishnan delivered the keynote address.

Staff Reporter writes from Kozhikode: Muslim Educational Society (MES) president P.A. Fazal Gafoor said here on Sunday that the organisation would consider withdrawing from the accord it had reached with the LDF government on admission to self-financing professional colleges run by it if the Nair Service Society (NSS) moved forward with its stance of opposing the Sachar Committee recommendations.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Gafoor described NSS general secretary P.K. Narayana Panicker’s reported statement that the implementation of the Sachar Committee Report would lead to chaos in Kerala society as a “purposeful ploy” to create a communal divide. He said the NSS was not a vote bank. Only political parties such as the Congress, CPI(M) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) could garner votes. Organisations based on various communities did not command any vote base.

They could bargain, at best. But they should not cross the ‘Lakshman rekha’ while indulging in bargaining, he warned.

Mr. Gafoor, who was also a member of the committee headed by Minister for Local Self-Government Paloli Mohammed Kutty that recently submitted a report on the implementation of the Sachar Committee reports, said neither the Sachar Committee nor the Paloli Committee gave anything in excess to minorities.

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