New syndicate of KU unlikely to meet this academic year

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After a gap of almost a year, Kerala University is all set to get an elected syndicate on February 5. However, the next syndicate is unlikely to meet during the current academic year.
It was following a series of protests and court interventions that the university vice chancellor P K Radhakrishnan finally took steps to conduct the election for the university syndicate.Though the election to the syndicate was originally scheduled on December 29, the same had to be postponed to February 5 after LDF nominees in the senate tore off several nomination papers filed by UDF members on the scrutiny day on December 12.
According to sources, the university is unlikely to witness the meeting of a full-fledged elected syndicate during the current academic year since the university vice chancellor has called for a meeting of the nominated members of the syndicate on January 30.
“The decision to convene the meeting of the nominated members of the syndicate could be seen only as a move to ratify a large number of controversial decisions taken by university authorities in the absence of an elected syndicate. Also, a syndicate meeting on January 30 would help them to pre-empt the need for next syndicate meeting in another two months. As per university rules, the syndicate should meet at least once in two months,” they said.
Meanwhile, UDF is set to secure majority seats in the 14-member syndicate. Two nominations of LDF members in the teaching staff category were rejected in the scrutiny and in total, three UDF members have already ensured unopposed entry to the syndicate.
The election to syndicate is being held under tight police cover, following a high court direction. The tenure of the last syndicate of the university elapsed on April 16, 2014.