Thiruvananthapuram: The state government is set to bring in an amendment authorizing it to nominate its "own" representative instead of that of the Governor in the committee entrusted with the appointment of vice-chancellors in universities.
As per the proposed amendment, the Governor would have no free say and could only nominate the representative proposed by the government.
The Law Secretary has accepted the proposal of the Higher Education Department in this regard. The Left Democratic Front has also given its nod to bring the proposal for approval in the next cabinet meeting.
In effect, the development would allow the government to appoint individuals of its choice as vice-chancellors if the representatives nominated by the concerned university and that of the Governor are those preferred by it.
Out of various proposals suggested by the commission entrusted with the amendment of the University appointment regulations, only the one mentioned above is being implemented on an urgent basis.
The commission's recommendation to increase the age limit for VC appointments from 60 to 65 would not be considered as of now.
Earlier, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan heavily criticized the state government's alleged interference in the functioning of the universities. The move is aimed at nixing such charges. However, it is unclear whether the Governor would sign the Ordinance or not.
