Government's national convention against UGC draft regulations to be held on February 20

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government's national convention against the UGC's draft regulations, which grants excessive power to the Governor in universities, will be held on the 20th. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the event at the Shankaranarayanan Thampi Hall in the Legislative Assembly. Minister R Bindu will preside over the event. Distinguished guests will include higher education ministers Dr. MC Sudhakar (Karnataka), Dr. Govindarajan (Tamil Nadu), Harjot Singh Bains (Punjab), and Telangana IT Minister D Sreedhar Babu. Around 1200 people, including senior officials from other states, will participate.

Minister K Rajan and Opposition Leader VD Satheesan will deliver the keynote addresses. Ministers Roshy Augustine, K Krishnankutty, AK Saseendran, Ramachandran Kadannappally, KB Ganesh Kumar, Opposition Deputy Leader PK Kunhalikutty, and Vice Chairman of the Higher Education Council Rajan Gurukkal will also speak. Representatives from all higher education institutions will attend.

Speaking at the press conference, Minister R. Bindu said that this convention is a national forum to resist the intervention of the central government in matters of the state-run universities. "The government will challenge the UGC policy legally. The government has conveyed its concerns. Attempts are being made to use universities as shortcuts for gaining political power. If someone who is not an academician becomes a VC, it will lead to a loss of quality," the minister said.