Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan bats for autonomy of higher education institutions

Kerala Governor emphasizes the need for autonomy in higher education institutions and fostering a culture of civility and dialogue.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has called for preserving the autonomy of higher education institutions and to prevent “outside interference that leads the youth to engage in activities which pollute the academic environment”.

He also advocated the need to foster “a culture of greater civility, empathy and dialogue that reposes faith in the power of argument, and not in the argument of power which goes against the grain of democracy as well as the Indian belief that all people should not be confined to one single interpretation of reality”.

Mr. Khan made the remarks while delivering the Republic Day message after unfurling the national flag and receiving a salute during the ceremonial parade held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on January 26.

The Governor’s comments assume significance against the backdrop of his protracted confrontation with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government which has witnessed several flashpoints catalysed by several issues including those concerning the administration of higher education institutions. He has also not minced words that reflected his animosity towards CPI (M)-feeder Students’ Federation of India (SFI) in recent times.

In another veiled swipe at the State government, the Governor said cooperative federalism requires the support from all stakeholders including the States of the nation.

He remarked citing the Centre’s Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, which was boycotted by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala. The nationwide outreach programme, he claimed, has reached even the remotest corners of the nation to create awareness about the government’s welfare schemes and ensured access to clean cooking fuel, Ayushman Health Cards and insurance to lakhs of people.

He highlighted a host of achievements registered by Kerala in terms of the growth of its start-up ecosystem, e-governance coverage, enabling digital banking for all eligible accounts, welfare fund for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers, its first position in the National Food Safety Index and success in eradicating extreme poverty. The State also won the National Healthcare and Arogya Manthan awards and more hospitals have secured the National Quality Assurance Standard (NQAS) certification. The Global Responsible Tourism Award and the second place in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) report for school education are some of the other laurels.