Save University Campaign Committee has submitted a petition to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan demanding an immediate withdrawal of an order issued by the Higher Education department which allegedly appointed unqualified teachers as Principals of government colleges.
In a statement, committee chairman R.S. Sasikumar and secretary M. Shajarkhan accused the department of “reappointing” a few teachers whose promotions as Principals had been quashed by the Kerala Administrative Tribunal in December 2022. The tribunal had set aside the promotions of 12 Principals of government arts and science colleges after finding the process to have been undertaken in violation of University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations.
The petitioners pointed out that the UGC norms mandated those promoted as Principals should be recognised guides. However, the department has misinterpreted the rules to appoint those who had guided undergraduate and postgraduate students in their project works, they alleged.
