Education in Kerala
The article, “Higher education in Kerala needs a new chapter” (Editorial page, June 14), has overlooked the fact that ‘the linear expansion of arts and science colleges and even professional colleges’ in Kerala was part of the strategy to enhance Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of the State. It is well known that Kerala could not transmit the success in its school education to its higher education sector. There are social,economic, political and historical reasons for the inter- and intra-regional inequalities in access to higher education in Kerala. According to baseline data of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) State Higher Education Plan (I), the GER in Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod was much lower than the State average of 21.9%, thus justifying the establishment of more higher education institutions in these districts. Setting up of more government colleges and government-regulated aided or self-financing colleges will increase the access to higher education with a very low, or reasonable and affordable fee structure.
Twenty arts and science colleges from the State including four government colleges have found a place in the list of top 100 colleges in 2020 in the NIRF ranking for India by the HRD Ministry. Similarly, four aided colleges have been recently reaccredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council with a superlative grade of A++. It is worth mentioning that all these are government-aided colleges.
Concerted efforts are needed for more expenditure on higher education, both public and private. To increase the expenditure on higher education as a proportion of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) from the present 1% to the targeted 2%, Kerala needs a revamped model of public private partnership (PPP) in higher education.
M. Usman,
Pazhamallur, Malappuram, Kerala
In Kerala, the poor state of affairs prevalent in its universities needs highlighting. It is everyone’s knowledge that the top university administration including the appointment to teaching posts is in accordance with the interests of powerful communities and partisan politics. The introduction of a choice-based credit and semester system has not resulted in quality enhancement. The extreme parochialism in the affiliated colleges in terms of student diversity and the recruitment of teachers has diminished the dynamics of the teaching-learning processes. To overcome this issue, all-India exchange programmes and exposure to outside institutions are needed. The details of the knowledge society have not been worked out so are we talking about a knowledge-based economy as in the developed world?
Chandran Komath,
Kottayam, Kerala
Bank turnaround
A close look at the numbers announced by the IOB (‘Business’ page, “IOB net surges twofold to ₹350 cr. as income rises”, June 15) reveals that the public sector bank has done excellently well in all key parameters. The Government has time and again pumped in additional capital into most public banks and has also floated a new bad bank. After using tax-payer money to cleanse the balance sheets of public sector banks, how justified is the Government in planning to hand them over to private players?
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
AIADMK developments
Ever since the passing of AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa, there has been much speculation about the future of the AIADMK, but Monday’s developments (Page 1, “OPS is dy. leader of AIADMK legislature party”, June 15) should prove that the party’s second rung leaders can pull through on contentious issues. If the party manages to stonewall any attempt by its former interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala to “capture the party” and also stay united, it has a chance of knocking on the door of power again.
V. Subramanian,
Chennai
TASMAC sales
The report, “On day one, ₹164 cr. worth liquor sold” (Tamil Nadu, June 15), was stunning. The volume of sales points to a rush and crowding. The public must realise that the goal now is to flatten the pandemic curve and not wantonly try and break the rules under the pretext of freedom.
A.J. Rangarajan,
Chennai
