CPI(M) accuses UDF of making higher education sole privilege of students from entitled families and undermining reservation criteria

Thiruvananthapuram The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday accused Higher Education Minister Roji M. John of seeking to undermine government and aided higher education institutions, which offer affordable tutoring to students hailing from marginalised and economically underprivileged sections of society. CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan told a press conference that Mr.

John sought to make higher education unaffordable for students from working-class families by allowing autonomous and private self-financing colleges to start new courses, recruit faculty, and charge exorbitant fees at will. “Mr John has, at a stroke, removed governmental and university-level oversight of higher education institutions in the private sector. He has undermined the Constitutionally guaranteed reservation criteria (affirmative action) for students from historically backward sections of society, including backward classes and Dalits, by allowing private colleges free rein to start new courses, charge capitation fees, and appoint faculty by passing the PSC.”  Mr.

Govindan said Mr. John had taken a page from the Sangh Parivar playbook by making higher education accessible only to the children of the entitled and privileged elite, allowing private colleges to start new courses and charge exorbitant fees without oversight. Mr. Govindan stated that Mr. John had demanded an apology from students suspended from Kalady Sanskrit University on false charges as a precondition for appearing for their term examinations.

Mr John had echoed the political tack of the university Vice-Chancellor, a Sangh Parivar fellow traveller nominated to the post by the former Keralam Governor, who is also chancellor of universities. Mr. John had asked students to “model themselves on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders who apologised to the colonial regime to dodge incarceration during the Independence struggle,” Mr.

Govindan said. Mr. Govindan also accused the government of seeking to besmirch the PSC’s credibility by echoing conspiracy theories aired by the right-wing media. “The PSC is a constitutional body. Only the Supreme Court has oversight authority over the PSC. The Crime Branch investigation against the body is unconstitutional. Moreover, by pulling the rug out from under the PSC’s feet, the UDF is laying the groundwork for unchecked and opaque backdoor appointments,” Mr Govindan said.

The CPI(M) pointed out that the Keralam PSC had recruited the largest number of educated youth to government posts through a transparent and just examination and interview process. “Thirty lakh youth who now serve at various levels in government and aided and unaided educational institutions have not complained of any fraud. By ordering a Crime Branch inquiry based on lies propagated by the pro-BJP corporate media, the UDF government is questioning the credibility of lakhs of youth who gained employment through the PSC process,” he said.