Syndicate not to give Rs 50 crore to society.
KOCHI: The Mahatma Gandhi University Syndicate, which met on Saturday, has decided to inform the Higher Education Department that its direction to give '50 crore from the university's fund to the Centre for Professional and Advanced Studies (CPAS) society formed to run self-financing (SF) institutions detached from the direct control of the varsity, cannot be accepted.
The university, which is facing a serious financial crisis and will find it almost impossible to pay salaries in two months from now, was first asked by CPAS itself to give the amount. The CPAS vice-chairperson and higher education secretary Usha Titus had taken the stand to extract the money from the university based on the decision of the director board of the society and the government was mulling cutting '5 crore from the plan fund allotment to the university in 10 instalments to channel the money to CPAS. Against this backdrop, the university Syndicate decided to write to the government expressing its inability to sanction the money.
The Syndicate also decided to request to the government not to take Rs 18 crore which is to be paid to original land owners in land value arrears of Muttam Engineering College, Thodupuzha, which was controlled by the university and has now been transferred to CPAS. The present decision of the government is to cut the amount in 10 equal instalments and the university contends that since the asset and liability of all colleges have been transferred to CPAS, it is the duty of the society to pay the amount. The Syndicate entrusted Vice-Chancellor Dr Babu Sebastian, Syndicate members P.K. Harikumar, K Sharafudeen and A Job to talk to the government on this issue.
The meeting presided over by Dr Babu Sebastian decided to impose a fine on teachers who failed to make proper valuation of the answer scripts of the students and give them the correct marks. It was also decided to refer all vacant assistant and computer assistant vacancies in the university to the PSC. The online certificate distribution system announced in the budget including migration and college transfer will start on June 1. The Syndicate congratulated all staff who made declaration of results in a record time possible this year.
