MADURAI: With Governor RN Ravi still not budging to the decision of Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) to confer an honorary doctorate on 102-year-old Communist leader and freedom fighter N Sankaraiah, educationists have urged the union and state governments to initiate a debate on whether to amend the national policy on granting Honoris Causa (honorary degree).
After MKU's Senate and Syndicate unanimously passed a resolution to award the degree to the veteran freedom fighter during the convocation ceremony, the convocation's agenda was sent to Raj Bhavan for confirmation. However, when the agenda was sent back to MKU, the presentation of the degree was left out of the list of events. Subsequently, Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy boycotted the convocation ceremony on November 2 in protest against the Governor’s 'refusal' to confer the doctorate on Sankaraiah.
Incidentally, for Governor Ravi, his actions were just a repeat of last year's developments, said sources. While it is Sankaraiah this year, MKU's last year's resolution that did not appeal to the Governor, was to confer an honorary doctorate on 97-year-old Padma Bhushan awardee and freedom fighter Krishnammal Jagannathan.
On condition of anonymity, an MKU official told TNIE, "Both Krishnammal Jagannathan and Sankaraiah selflessly worked for the nation even during the freedom struggle. Refusing decisions of democratic bodies to honour these freedom fighters is nothing short of autocratic behaviour. Since the governor is refraining from signing the doctorate certificate, a national debate must be initiated to decide whether to revise the procedures of conferring honorary doctorates."
Noting that the Governor is duty-bound to accept the MKU Senate's decision, Save Higher Education Forum Coordinator R Murali said, "He must issue a statement explaining why he is refusing to confer the honour to Sankaraiah. MKU's statutes on Honorary Causa states that the senate may, on the recommendation of not less than two-thirds of the members of the syndicate, confer any of the following honours causa' upon a person on the ground that he or she is, by reason of eminent position and attainment or by virtue of contribution to learning or eminent service to the cause of education, a fit and proper person to receive such degree. The statutes also state that the certificate of an honoris causa' shall be signed by the Chancellor."
He also accused the Governor of using educational institutions to play politics. Concurring with the accusation, Association for University Teachers (AUT) former president K Pandian alleged that the Governor's actions were reminiscent of the colonial administration.
At least in the future, the Governor should agree to confer honorary degrees on persons who selflessly worked for the development of the nation, opined Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers Association (TNGCTA) General Secretary Suresh. "The Governor shouldn't make decisions based on the ideologies of whom the doctorate is recommended for," he added.