Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel has cautioned against attempts to superimpose any faith on the Constitution, which could disrupt the delicate communal harmony that existed in the country.
Inaugurating the ‘Bhashakkoru Dollar’ award presentation ceremony here on Tuesday, Dr. Jaleel said that the Constitution, the keystone of all freedoms enjoyed by the citizens, must be given paramount importance. “The country is known for its diversity of cultures, languages, religions, and traditions. We must refrain from actions seeking to homogenise the country,” he said.
He added that the government mulled steps that enabled universities to rope in the services of intellectuals to enrich the learning experience of students.
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“While several research works have been undertaken on the acclaimed works of M.T. Vasudevan Nair, the prescribed norms did not permit conducting classes led by the writer himself, simply owing to the fact that he did not possess a doctorate. To overcome this, a recent meeting of Vice Chancellors decided to constitute panels of adjunct faculty in each field of study,” the Minister said.
Dr. Jaleel presented the Bhashakkoru Dollar-2017 award to Swapna Sreenivasan, an assistant professor at the Government College for Women for her thesis ‘Cultural politics in the stories of Pattathuvila — A study’, based on the works of Pattathuvila Karunakaran. The award carries a cash prize of ₹50,000, a plaque, and a citation.
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Dr. Sreenivasan’s guide V.K. Krishna Kaimal, a former associate professor of Maharaja’s College, was also felicitated on the occasion.
FOKANA president Madhavan B. Nair presided over the function and Kerala University Vice-Chancellor V.P. Mahadevan Pillai delivered the keynote address.