Kerala Cabinet approves Bill requiring universities to hold Syndicate meetings every two months; likely to be tabled during the ongoing Assembly session

The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft Bill that would mandate universities in the State to hold Syndicate meetings every two months.

The draft Bill, aimed at amending the existing laws governing State universities, is expected to be tabled during the ongoing session of the Assembly.

The proposed legislation will also introduce a key provision requiring Vice-Chancellors to convene Syndicate meetings within seven days if formally requested by at least one-third of its members.

Not part of Acts

Presently, while university statutes require Syndicate meetings to be convened every two months, the provision is not included in the Acts governing the institutions, official sources said.

The Cabinet decision comes against the backdrop of Vice-Chancellors’ purported reluctance to call for meetings, even when demanded by Syndicate members.

Universities, including Kerala University and APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University have been witnessing tussles between the Vice-Chancellors and Syndicate members over the demand to convene meetings.

In Kerala University, Left-backed Syndicate members wrote to the Vice-Chancellor in-charge Mohanan Kunnummal a few weeks ago to convene an urgent meeting to discuss the issue of revoking the Registrar’s suspension based on a recent Kerala High Court verdict. However, the Vice-Chancellor is yet to accede to the demand.