Minister for Higher Education R. Bindu has said that colleges should not entertain moral policing and strong rules that curtail the freedom of students.
She was opening a workshop to prepare a framework for the proposed four-year undergraduate degree courses, at the University of Calicut at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district on Tuesday.
Ms. Bindu said colleges should not become unfriendly for students. The teachers need to try to groom their creativity. The Minister said the State government was trying to formulate a curriculum that would make studies student-centric and knowledge people-centric. She said Kerala would not blindly follow the National Education Policy. “Our policy will uphold scientific temper, secularism and democracy. Preparations have already begun to implement it,” she said.
Ms. Bindu claimed that false propaganda was being unleashed against the higher education sector in Kerala, ignoring the State’s achievements based on the yardsticks of Central agencies.
University Vice-Chancellor M.K. Jayaraj said steps would be taken to streamline the syllabus by December 31. He said the University of Calicut was the biggest such institution in the State in terms of the number of colleges and students. There were 95 Boards of Studies as well, he said. Members of the Senate, Boards of Studies, and Deans of Faculty were present.
