The University of Kerala has decided to act tough against aided colleges that fail to make regular appointments to the post of Principal.
The Syndicate on Thursday resolved to adopt stringent measures against institutions that have been helmed by temporary Principals for long. The university will direct college managements to appoint Principals on a regular basis within two months. The tenures of temporary Principals will be restricted.
Sources said in case of failure to comply with the directive, the university will turn down applications for new courses by such institutions and pursue various measures against them.
40 colleges
The move is aimed at curbing the practice of enabling junior teachers to assume charge as Principals at the behest of the college managements. Rough estimates indicate nearly 40 private aided colleges affiliated to the university have not had ‘permanent’ Principals for close to five years.
The university has entrusted the temporary Principals with the authority of Drawing and Disbursement Officers, though they lacked the minimum qualifications for appointment as Principals.
Decision-making hit
The Syndicate held the opinion that the absence of full-time Principals has often hampered the decision-making process as well as the administrative mechanism in colleges. It was generally felt that the lacunae could pave the way for serious avoidable lapses.
The university has adopted a guarded stance of late in the wake of various controversies surrounding a number of affiliated colleges, including Christian College, Kattakada, and MSM College, Kayamkulam.
