Student leaders’ tour plan draws flak

Govt. initiative to reform campus politics by taking elected student leaders to Cardiff varsity

Alarmed by the increasing prevalence of violent incidents in colleges, the State government has embarked on an experimental initiative to reform campus politics by taking elected student leaders of government colleges on a student leadership tour to the Cardiff University.

With Students Federation of India (SFI) reigning supreme in most college, the move has come under a cloud with certain quarters accusing the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of facilitating an all-expenses paid vacation for the union leaders while the State is passing through a financial crisis.

Week-long tour

Named LEAD induction training, the novel initiative which is being undertaken by the Directorate of Collegiate Education as part of its FLAIR (Fostering Linkages in Academic Innovation and Research) programme will have 75 students being taken on the week-long tour.

The delegation will comprise the union chairpersons of nine State university and 66 government arts and science colleges.

Explaining the rationale behind the programme, a government official said that the brutal murder of Abhimanyu M., a SFI leader, in the Maharaja’s College had necessitated an intervention to rein in violent tendencies.

“Of late, we have been witnessing a spurt in similar incidents on our campuses. The worrying trend has showed signs of disrupting the academic environment. The colleges are in dire need of corrective steps to rein in wayward activities that were done in the name of campus activism. At the same time, we also cannot curtail the freedom of students to engage in activism,” the official said.

The student leadership tour, which is being arranged with the assistance of the British Council, will have the elected representatives interact with their counterparts at the Cardiff University which is known to have a vibrant student community.

Official sources said that the initiative which would incur an expenditure of ₹1.20 crore had been approved by the Kerala State Planning Board a year ago, following which due process was followed to obtain administrative sanction.

Allegations

However, allegations were rife that the “junket” had been proposed by a few teachers and officials who were likely to accompany the delegation. Besides, the decision to include the student leaders of government colleges alone has also raised eyebrows.