Thiruvananthapuram: APJ Abdul Kalam University has not yet started the process for appointing and expert committee for examining the quality of self-financing engineering colleges or to appoint an ombudsman to hear the complaints about colleges. However, the university has kicked off the re-affiliation process for the self financing engineering colleges. The decision to appoint an expert committee was taken by the state cabinet in the aftermath of the widespread complaints about the colleges following the suicide of first year B.Tech student Vishu Pranoy in Thrissur on January 6.
However, the government cannot appoint such a committee as it would be an infringement on the autonomy of the university. The only thing it can do is to direct the university to appoint such a committee, sources in the ministry of higher education said. The roles of the ombudsman and the committee were different as former will look into specific complaints from students while the latter was to monitor the academic quality of the programmes the colleges offered.
The university has also failed to appoint the dean of academics and dean of research. Both the posts were essential to monitor the overall quality of teaching and research, sources said. Meanwhile, the university has invited application for affiliation of “existing and new technical institutions” of the state which conducts under-graduate and post-graduate programmes in engineering and technology, MBA, MCA and architecture for the academic year 2017-18. The online applications will be available at www.ktu.edu.in from Friday. Affliation of new Institutions and new courses and increase in intake will be considered on production of NOC from the government.
