The government intends to provide higher education in different streams to all sections of society through Sree Narayana Guru Open University, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday.
“This is a platform to make higher education accessible to all skilled, eligible, and desirous persons,” he added, inaugurating Kerala’s first open university named after the social reformer through videoconferencing.
Pointing out that modern Kerala was indebted to Sree Narayana Guru, he said the changes brought about by Guru were not limited to any particular community, but benefited an entire spectrum of people.
Observing that Guru always exhorted others to gain knowledge, the Chief Minister said the university was an extension of that thought.
“No education system can sustain without focusing on agriculture, industry, vocational skills and technology that form the backbone of our economy,” he added.
Headquarters
Apart from conventional courses, the university will also offer skill development programmes. Chooravilas Complex near the Kollam bypass will be the temporary headquarters of the university.
The seven-storey building has 18 classrooms, an auditorium that can accommodate 800 persons and ample parking facility.
Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel presided. Principal Secretary Usha Titus presented the report on the occasion and the inauguration was live-streamed through digital screens installed at various points in the district.
