Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, Hon’ble Chief Minister,
Dr. K.T. Jaleel, Hon’ble Minister for Higher Education,
Shri Suresh Kurup, Member of Legislative Assembly,
Shri Raju Abraham, Member of Legislative Assembly and Member of Syndicate,
Prof. (Dr.) Rajan Gurukkal, Vice Chairman, Kerala State Higher Education Council,
Smt. Usha Titus IAS, Principal Secretary, Higher Education
Department,
Dr. Davendra Kumar Dhodawat, IAS, Principal Secretary to
Governor,
Prof. (Dr.) Sabu Thomas, Professor-in-charge of Vice-Chancellor,
Mahatma Gandhi University,
Other Vice-Chancellors, Syndicate Members,
Distinguished Guests,
Respected Teachers and non-teaching Staff,
My beloved Students,
Madhyama Suhruthukale,
Sahodaree Sahodaranmaare,
Ellaavarkkum Ente Namaskaaram.
It gives me great joy and to address you after presenting the fourth Chancellor's Award to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam and the second Chancellor's Award for the Best Emerging Young University to the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University [KVASU]. What makes this occasion special is that both the universities are receiving this coveted award for the second time.
Therefore, let me begin by congratulating the academic and non-academic communities of both these universities on their success in maintaining the highest standards in academic output and quality. Vice-Chancellors of both the Universities deserve our wholehearted appreciation for leading the efforts in winning this award.
As Chancellor of the State Universities, I am happy that this award of Rs. Five Crore, which was instituted in 2015 has instilled a spirit of healthy competition among the Universities in improving the quality of Higher Education they impart to students. This august audience may recall that the first award went to the University of Kerala, in 2015; the second, to Mahatma Gandhi University in 2016 and the third to Cochin University of Science &Technology, in 2017. It was in 2017 that we instituted a separate award of Rs. One Crore for the Best Emerging Young University in Kerala to foster a spirit of healthy competition among newly established Universities and we have seen Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University walking away with the award of 2017 and 2018.
I am also happy that the participation of universities in this quality evaluation has been steady over the years. This year, all State universities except Kerala University of Health Sciences, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University participated. It also merits mention that last year, on my direction, the Government had entrusted the Kerala State Higher Education Council to identify the varsities for the conferment of the award, since it is the most appropriate academic body to make such a choice.
I must also appreciate the sincere efforts of the nine Member Selection Committee constituted by the Kerala State Higher Education Council and chaired by Prof. C.N.R. Rao, National Research Professor and Honorary President, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore.
What makes the Chancellor's Award different from many other awards is that the yardsticks for selection had been updated in a timely manner, over the years, to cover the level of quality in more academic areas. The selection for both the awards was based on such yardsticks and the period of assessment was from 1st July, 2017 to 30th June, 2018. The efficient way in which the Department of Higher Education, Government of Kerala and the Kerala State Higher Education Council had monitored the whole process of selection also deserves special mention.
As we all know, leadership is an essential component in good governance, be it in the government or in the universities. Since the performance of our universities is vital in the intellectual development of our society, it is imperative that we provide our universities with the most suitable academic and administrative leadership.
The objective of the UGC Regulations is to ensure that the Search Committee is free from any sort of bias. Universities must ensure that while selecting University representative to the Search Committee to select the Vice-Chancellor, the prospective candidate should not take part in the process. This is to ensure that the selection process is not vitiated by the doctrine of “real likelihood of bias”.
At present, Act and Statutes of universities prescribe different tenures for the Vice-Chancellor. It would be ideal if our Law makers could enact a unified Act which ensures uniformity in matters right from the appointment of Statutory Officers to the conduct of examinations and declaration of results in all our universities. This would help to upgrade the efficiency and quality of services in the higher education sector. I am happy that steps are being taken to have a common academic calendar for our universities.
As a person hailing from the Judiciary, I have noticed that many of our Universities are fighting cases in various courts. This has affected the timely posting of Faculty and the implementation of various development measures. The universities are paying a heavy price for the delay in the settlement of such legal disputes. I would request all
Vice-Chancellors to put in place a system for effective follow up on litigations. Like the selection of Officers, nomination of members to various authorities must be made after thorough inquiries so that the choices are beyond question. Vice-Chancellors must ensure the credibility of every such choice.The Government also has to set a strict time frame for clearing files related to amendments and other important issues of the universities.
Today, as we move closer to a Knowledge society, we are expected to be more active in the creation of new knowledge which will be of practical use to people. For this, we need to improve our capabilities in research. It is true that Universities facilitate and promote studies, research and the building of human capabilities. But, they also must help to generate development and economic growth, because, today's Education decides tomorrow's Economy. We must ask ourselves how prepared we are to offer new knowledge which will have an effect on the national or State economy.
Lack of funds for research is an excuse that we often hear when a university is questioned about the fruits of its academic inquiries. We all know that State universities in the country have been facing resource limitations for many years and that even now, most of such institutions are timid in seeking collaborations that would bring in funds. There is also a fear of failure, which has to be overcome through the faith that universities are dynamic institutions where new ideas are tested, mistakes made and lessons learned.
It is true that many of our varsities are depending on funding from agencies like Department of Science and Technology, UGC, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research etc. I would suggest that our universities must also seek the help of the Corporate sector, which has a provision for spending large funds as part of Corporate Social Responsibility and philanthropy. Since Industry – Academia linkage is very helpful in furthering our research, we must win the confidence of the corporate sector for such cooperation. Every corporate house must be encouraged to feel a sense of pride in its cooperation with a university.
Like last year, let me emphasize the need to ensure that the Faculty Members of each university publish research oriented books and Research papers in peer reviewed journals. I would also remind every institution to implement focused action plans to improve their co-academic activities and to adopt Green Technology and to utilize Green Energy as much as possible.
Knowledge sharing among Universities also deserves our special attention. When Kerala is very much into knowledge-based and skill-intensive economic activities, our universities should strengthen their networking for research and development. We have to encourage the imparting of skills like critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, digital literacy etc., in our universities. It is encouraging to know that many of our Universities are now taking Incubation facilities for innovation very seriously. I hope every university would utilize the Start-up ecosystem that Kerala has created over the years.
Let me conclude by reminding the academic community that for every university, academic freedom and intellectual integrity must be two sides of a coin. Universities must work on the faith that through education, they are shaping and perfecting a civilization. They must encourage independent and critical thinking which will help young people to transform from mere subjects of the State to empowered citizens, well aware of their rights and obligations. True, our universities create and convey knowledge, but we should remember that knowledge is also heritage that we pass on to posterity and it deserves utmost sanctity.
I hope the Chancellor's Award would encourage each University to periodically evaluate the sanctity they attach to the knowledge they bestow on society. I convey my appreciation for the timely sanctioning of the required award amount by the State Government. I hope that the exercise of evaluating the Universities for Chancellor’s Award in the coming years will lead to the further betterment of Higher Education in the State.
Once again, I compliment all the ten participating Universities, especially the Mahatma Gandhi University and Kerala Veterinary & Animal Sciences University on their remarkable achievement and wish they would continue to improve their performance.
I greet everyone present here, and wish them all the best.
Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal
Nanni
Jai Hind
