THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The administrative impasse that had gripped the University of Kerala over the past few weeks, is set to end with the government clarifying that the Kerala University (Amendment Ordinance), 2017 will have no impact on the varsity’s existing Senate and Syndicate. The clarification came in the wake of the Governor’s office consulting the government on the basis of a request by Vice Chancellor P K Radhakrishnan.
The Vice Chancellor had cited certain clauses in the ordinance as the reason for not convening meetings of the Senate and Syndicate.
The Vice Chancellor had maintained that certain amendments to the constitution of the Senate, proposed in the ordinance, would indirectly affected the structure of the existing Syndicate.
This, despite the university receiving legal advice that the ordinance would not have any impact on the constitution of existing senate or syndicate.
The Governor’s office, which received the clarification, promptly informed the university of the matter. After the clarification, the Vice Chancellor was left with no choice but to convene the meetings, sources said.
Senate, Syndicate meetings
While the Syndicate is slated to meet on February 6, the Senate will meet on March 16 and 17. The Syndicate, during its last meeting, decided to recommend a vigilance probe against the Vice Chancellor for alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers.
However, the Vice Chancellor did not include it in the minutes of the meeting, Syndicate members alleged.According to them, the Vice Chancellor used the Ordinance as a ploy to defer meetings and thereby avoid any more discussion on anomalies relating to teachers’ recruitment.
The timely presentation of the University’s annual budget and conduct of examinations and seminars were adversely affected as meetings of Senate, Syndicate and important committees, were not convened for weeks on end.