Congress, IUML spar over tech varsity appointments

Tussle over posting of Registrar

September 30, 2014 01:36 pm | Updated 01:36 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

: The Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), two major allies of the ruling coalition, are caught in a tussle over crucial appointments to the newly established technology varsity.

The Kerala Technology University came into being through an ordinance promulgated in May this year. The State government has already appointed a Vice Chancellor, a Chairman, and Pro Vice Chancellor using its discretionary powers over such appointments while establishing a new varsity. The new nominees have since assumed office. The usual pattern of sharing prominent posts in the varsity among United Democratic Front (UDF) partners, including observing the communal rotation, was followed in this case as well. However, the two coalition partners are now on a collision course over the appointment of the varsity Registrar who is a key administrative functionary.

The relevant files relating to the appointment have been doing their rounds at various levels in the government, but a political decision has not been forthcoming. The IUML, whose nominee, P.K. Abdu Rabb, holds the Education portfolio, has been pushing for the appointment of an additional secretary who reportedly does not have the requisite qualification.

New phase

The tussle is now entering a new phase with the IUML ignoring the strong recommendations of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and senior Congress Ministers in his Cabinet for appointing the party’s nominee. While the IUML has been pulling the strings for M.I. Sherriff, an additional secretary in the Secretariat, the Congress leaders have proposed the name of G.P. Padmakumar, Associate Professor in the College of Engineering. Dr. Padmakumar has long years of teaching and administrative experience, besides being a Senate member of the University of Kerala.

Fearing that it would not be able to pull off its moves, the IUML leadership has now brought up another move seeking to appoint M. Sherriff as Controller of Examinations with additional charge of Registrar. Experts in the field of technical education feel that crucial appointments to the technology varsity, including that of Registrar and controller of examinations, should be made from academics with PhD qualifications in any engineering streams. In all other universities, persons holding similar posts are academics with doctorates.

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