Academics and students’ organisations have objected to Calicut University’s decision to discontinue postgraduate courses and B.A. (Arabic) now being offered at its study centres in Lakshadweep.
The Syndicate of the university on Wednesday decided to stop the courses available at the centres on Kavaratti, Androth and Kadamath islands on the orders of the Lakshadweep Administration. The island authorities are reportedly not happy with the academic quality of students. The courses to be discontinued are M.A. in Arabic, English, and Politics respectively and M.Sc. in Aquaculture and Maths respectively. Though the administration primarily wanted to discontinue postgraduate courses, it wants undergraduate course in Arabic too cancelled. Other undergraduate courses will continue. The administration reportedly wants students to study in Kerala.
Ajas, a functionary of the Lakshadweep unit of the National Students Union of India, the students’ wing of the Congress, told The Hindu on Thursday that there was a plan to launch tourism-based and job-oriented courses. A paramedical centre too is being set up. “We learn that the courses will be affiliated to a Gujarat-based university. However, all those steps are shrouded in secrecy. Only the Administrator and the Assistant Collector are privy to information,” he said. Anees of the Lakshadweep Students’ Association said the organisation was collecting details about the decision.
Meanwhile, two Syndicate members urged the Vice Chancellor to revoke the move. In a letter, N.V. Abdurahiman and P. Rasheed Ahammed pointed out that the university had been providing facilities for higher education to students of the islands for the past 15 years, as there were no avenues for poor and backward students there.
Though there has been no shortage of applicants for B.A. Arabic course, the administration wants to suspend the programme. It claimed that the suspension of courses was undemocratic and unilateral and against the interests of residents and students. Similarly, PG courses should not be seen in terms of student strength but as part of providing to meritorious students, especially poor girls, they added.
