Kannur: The UDF-backed Syndicate of Kannur University has removed Registrar Prof Joby K Jose, who was appointed during the previous LDF government. The matter was included as a special item on the agenda at the Syndicate meeting held on Tuesday and was approved.

Soon after the decision, Prof Jose submitted his resignation and returned to his parent department, the Department of Statistical Sciences at the Mangattuparamba Campus.

Officially, the Syndicate cited a shortage of teachers in the department as the reason for bringing the matter up as a special agenda item. Apart from Prof Jose, the department currently has only one other faculty member, an assistant professor.

Prof Jose, affiliated with the CPM-linked teachers' association, had been serving as Registrar in charge of the university since November 2021. He was appointed as the regular Registrar on August 19, 2023. He had around one year remaining in his tenure when he was removed by the Syndicate, appointed by the UDF government.

Several members of the newly constituted Syndicate had earlier opposed his appointment as Registrar, alleging that then Vice-Chancellor Prof Gopinath Ravindran had shown favouritism towards him.

Controversy during appointment
The university had been without a regular Registrar since March 8, 2019, but the post was advertised only on August 19, 2022, when Prof Jose was serving as Registrar in-charge.

Only three candidates, including Prof Jose, applied for the post. The university's screening committee rejected the applications of the other two candidates and recommended that only Prof Jose be called for the interview. One of the rejected applicants approached the High Court and secured an order allowing him to appear for the interview.

Prof Jose was nevertheless ranked first after the interview and was subsequently appointed Registrar.

Five years as Registrar
Despite the controversies surrounding his appointment, Prof Jose went on to serve as Registrar for nearly five years and oversaw several major projects at Kannur University, according to a university release.

In addition to serving as Registrar, he held additional responsibilities as Controller of Examinations, Research Director and Director of the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme (MMTTC).

During his tenure, Kannur University secured ₹100 crore under the PM-USHA (Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) scheme, a Union government programme aimed at improving the quality, access and equity of higher education in state institutions. The proposal and subsequent implementation were carried out under his leadership, according to the university. Around 60 per cent of the funds have already been utilised.

The university also secured approval for projects worth nearly ₹100 crore under the Kerala government's KIIFB scheme, including student hostels and academic blocks across various campuses.

Prof Jose also played a role in implementing the four-year undergraduate degree programmes at Kannur University and served as convenor of the state-level monitoring committee for the programme.

He led the implementation of a comprehensive examination management software system and, while serving as Controller of Examinations, oversaw the introduction of an online question bank developed by the university.

The university received several recognitions during this period, including the State e-Governance Award. Digital services such as an Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system and Unispark, an online platform for salary disbursement and leave management, were also introduced.

Prof Jose also continued his academic work. Six research scholars completed their research under his supervision, while around eight others are pursuing research under him.

His removal now comes as the university prepares for its NAAC assessment this year. With the departure of Prof Jose, the university is set to have no permanent officer in several key positions, including Vice-Chancellor, Registrar and Controller of Examinations, posing an additional administrative challenge at a crucial time.