The State committee of the All Kerala Private College Teachers Association (AKPCTA) has urged the Kerala government to intervene immediately to resolve the administrative crisis at A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University, alleging that the Vice-Chancellor’s actions have paralysed the functioning of the varsity.
The association demanded that a Syndicate meeting be convened without further delay to approve pending appointments and promotions.
In a press statement, AKPCTA general secretary A. Nishanth said the Syndicate had not met for the past five months, despite the varsity statute requiring meetings at least once every two months. As a result, the approval of appointments of more than 30 employees ranging from office assistants to Assistant Professors at three engineering colleges has been delayed. The association said the employees, including those with disabilities, had been working for nearly two years without receiving salaries due to lack of approval.
The association also alleged that the promotion files of around 270 teachers and over 40 office staff remained pending. Although the files were placed before previous Syndicate meetings, they were repeatedly deferred on technical grounds, citing non-consideration by standing committees.
Mr. Nishanth said the standing committee was constituted at the Syndicate meeting held in February, but the minutes of the meeting were later withdrawn due to technical issues, with only the Budget being recorded as approved. Since then, no Syndicate meeting has been convened, the AKPCTA said.
The teachers’ body further raised concerns over the decision to sanction new courses this year without inspecting the infrastructure of colleges. It alleged that the move had triggered several complaints and questioned whether officials who had earlier faced inquiries over granting courses before university statutes came into force and approving courses for institutions without affiliations were behind the latest decisions.
AKPCTA further accused Vice-Chancellor Ciza Thomas of allegedly using the special powers granted under the University Act for academic matters to take decisions on financial issues, which it termed unlawful. Unlike other varsities, the Technical university V-C has no independent financial powers, yet the university is functioning under one-person rule, the association alleged.
The association said several urgent decisions relating to the commencement of the new academic year had been delayed because of the administrative deadlock.
AKPCTA State president Sanjeev G.N. called on the State government to take immediate steps to resolve the crisis and ensure that the Syndicate meets at the earliest to approve all pending appointments and promotions.
Responding to the association’s claims that the absence of Syndicate meetings had delayed placements and promotions, the Vice-Chancellor said appointments are made by colleges, while placements under the career advancement scheme required detailed scrutiny by a Syndicate sub-committee.
She said the process would be taken up at the Syndicate meeting scheduled this week. She also denied allegations of approving new courses without inspection, clarifying that only provisional approval, subject to inspection, had been granted.
Defending the financial decisions, she said the emergency powers under Clause 14(5) of the University Act permitted such actions, subject to the Syndicate’s ratification.
She also dismissed allegations of outsourcing an online constitution course, saying no private agency had been engaged, and that the proposal had been deferred.
She said spreading baseless allegations could undermine students’ confidence in the university.
Published – July 30, 2026 01:35 am IST
