Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 27 Keralam Higher Education Minister Roji M John on Tuesday said that the government’s approach was in favour of college politics and it was considering establishing an ‘Academic Election Commission’ on campuses of higher educational institutions in the state.
John, responding to a submission by Congress MLA Uma Thomas in the Assembly regarding the need for healthy politics in higher educational institutions, said that the commission will help to implement constructive reforms in student union elections.
The minister further said that the government was adopting a policy approach aimed at preventing unhealthy trends on campuses while not compromising the rights of students to protest democratically.
He said that student politics have been active in colleges in Keralam since the time of the freedom struggle and it has grown through the formation of various student organisations and the protection of democratic rights.
Healthy politics helps in developing leadership skills and democratic and constitutional values in students, along with making the campus environment active and constructive, the minister said.
However, the government has noticed situations where college politics was taking a turn towards unhealthy practices in some institutions, he said.
As part of the government’s policy to prevent such trends, the ‘Siddharthan Student Distress App’ was announced in the budget and included in the 100-day action plan, John said.
The app is in addition to the electoral reforms being considered in the higher educational institutions, he said.
Besides these, the ‘Siddharthan Anti-Ragging and Student Welfare Act,’ which ensures student welfare, is also part of the government’s vigorous efforts to end wrong trends in colleges, the minister added.
“The government’s approach is to encourage college politics, but any kind of activity that disrupts the peaceful atmosphere of campuses will not be accepted,” he emphasised.
(PTI News)
