THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The authority of self-financing institutions has directed the University Institute of Technology (UIT) centre at Parassala to stop functioning due to low number of admissions this year.
The authority also began efforts to shift the UIT centres struggling with infrastructure in the state to new locations. The decision was made following an Express expose that featured the plight of UIT centres functioning without basic infrastructure.
Express had earlier reported hoe the three new UITs started by the University of Kerala at Parassala, Kanjiramkulam and Vellarada were located within five to six km radius of each other compounding the issue prevailing in UITs for the past several years. They were also plagued by low admission rate which saw a maximum of one or two students making into the allotment list.
Speaking to Express, Jubily Navaprabha, director of self-financing institutions in Kerala, said a collective decision was taken to stop the admission proceedings at the Parassala centre as there were centres at nearby locations such as Vellarada, Kanjiramkulam and Neyyatttinkara. She also visited the Neyyattinkara centre and reviewed the situation.
“We have decided not to operate the centre at Parassala this year due to low admission rate. Similarly, we have decided to shift the centres like Neyyattinkara and Malayinkeezhu to better locations at the earliest. These are not the places where the professional courses are learned. As far as Neyyattinkara centre is concerned, we have identified a land owned by IHRD at Neyyattinkara town. The government has also given permission for shifting. So I have discussed the matter with the authorities to shift the centres as soon as possible,” Navaprabha said.
At present, the authority is focusing on Thiruvananthapuram district. Centres in other districts will be reviewed later.
The University Institute of Technology (UIT) centres, which aim to train students from rural areas in professional courses, have struggled due to poor infrastructure since its inception 23 years ago. Of the 29 centres in the state, only a few operate on their own campuses while the remaining function from rented buildings with scant facilities. Though the university started new postgraduate courses in some centres, many of them do not even have enough students.