Appoint separate chancellor for each University in Kerala: Government-appointed panel

A high-level panel headed by Shyam B Menon, former Vice-Chancellor of Ambedkar University, New Delhi, has found out that the governing structures of Kerala's Universities has turned out to be academically counterproductive through uniformed, over-politicised, partisan, and external interference in their day-to-day functioning.

Appoint separate chancellor for each University in Kerala: Government-appointed panel

A panel appointed by the Kerala Higher Education Department has recommended appointing a separate Chancellor for each University in the state and insulating the academic institutions from controversies that are arising because of differences in interpretation of the federal character of India's Constitution.

A high-level panel headed by Shyam B Menon, former Vice-Chancellor of Ambedkar University, New Delhi, has found out that the governing structures of Kerala's Universities has turned out to be academically counterproductive through uniformed, over-politicised, partisan, and external interference in their day-to-day functioning. It also recommended that the internal governance of the university should be sequestered from the administrative controls of the government.

In a report submitted to the government, the panel stated that, "There must be a separate Chancellor for each university, elected by the Board of Regents from among themselves."

In September 2021, the Kerala Higher Education Department had constituted the panel in a bid to modernise the sector that has been deemed outdated in several respects. It has also recommended that the Chief Minister of the state should be the visitor of all public universities and as Visitor, he/she will have the responsibility of ensuring that the governance of the university is in congruence with the broad mission mandated to them through legislation.

At present, the Governor is the Chancellor of the public universities in the state. The panel said "the Vice-Chancellor should be a distinguished academic whose term should be enhanced to five years per term. A second term until he/she attains the age of 70 may be considered."

"The Vice-Chancellor should be appointed by the Board of Regents, from a list of three names stated in order of preference recommended by the Search-cum-Selection Committee," it said. The panel also recommended that "the Pro Vice-Chancellor shall be selected by the Board of Regents from among a panel of three professors of the university drawn up by the Vice-Chancellor."

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