In the legislative assembly, when asked whether the state government had taken note of how the tussle between it and the Chancellor/Governor is affecting Kerala’s higher education sector, Higher Education Minister R. Bindu replied that no such problems have come to attention so far. The starred question was raised by Congress MLAs Eldhose P. Kunnapillil, K. Babu, Sajeev Joseph, and Aryadan Shoukath.
Back in July, Kerala University—one of the state’s most prominent universities—plunged into an administrative crisis, with two registrars simultaneously functioning in office, following a tussle between the Governor and the state government over a Bharat Mata portrait. A legal battle is also ongoing between the Chancellor and the government regarding the appointment of Vice-Chancellors in multiple universities. As a result, most state universities remain without permanent Vice-Chancellors (VCs). Yet, in its reply, the government chose not to address such conflicts with the Chancellor. Instead, the Higher Education Minister highlighted that progressive changes have been implemented in the higher education sector, including the establishment of Centres of Excellence, Translational Research Centres, and international hostels, as well as the introduction of four-year undergraduate programmes.
“To raise Kerala’s higher education to international standards, initiatives such as Study in Kerala, Scholar Connect, and Brain Gain have been launched. The timely completion of admission procedures, commencement of classes, conduct of examinations, evaluation, and publication of results, along with the revision of curricula and syllabi in all universities, are cited as proof that there are no crises in this sector,” noted the minister in her response.
Notably, the government also faced a question from the opposition regarding the large number of vacant seats in four prominent universities in Kerala. Last year, 85,525 undergraduate seats and over 13,000 postgraduate seats remained unfilled. In a starred question raised by Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, I. C. Balakrishnan, Mathew Kuzhalnadan, and Saneeshkumar Joseph, the opposition asked whether the government had taken note of this issue. The minister admitted that vacant seats had not been fully filled, but added that the admission process was still underway. However, the government rejected the claim that students are not attracted to Kerala’s universities. “From the academic year 2024–25 onwards, four-year undergraduate programmes have been implemented in all state universities and affiliated colleges. The FYUGP has been designed to provide students with multiple learning pathways that support both employability and entry into advanced research fields,” said the minister.
The minister further noted that universities have initiated measures to launch innovative and job-oriented courses to attract students. “To further enhance employment opportunities, both the four-year undergraduate programme and B.Voc courses have been structured to include industry-linked learning and training components,” she added.
