Calicut University boards row puts Kerala’s UDF govt under fire over ‘Sangh links’

The University of Calicut’s pro-Sangh Parivar teachers’ organisation, UVAS, released a congratulatory poster soon after the order reconstituting the university’s Boards of Studies was issued. The poster named 32 members whom the organisation claimed as part of its “family”, triggering a furore in academic circles and raising questions about the Sangh Parivar’s influence over the university’s academic bodies under the Congress-led UDF government.

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The issue has since escalated into a political and academic controversy, with teachers’ organisations alleging that the UDF has accommodated individuals linked to the Sangh Parivar while sidelining experienced faculty members. The appointments have drawn particular attention as the university prepares to revise curricula, including at the postgraduate level. The Boards of Studies play a key role in framing syllabuses and shaping academic programmes, making the composition of these bodies consequential for the quality and direction of higher education.

Sangh links stir academic row

Thirty-two teachers associated with the Higher Education Teachers Sangh, an organisation alleged to be aligned with the Sangh Parivar, have secured positions across various boards. Two of them have reportedly been appointed chairpersons of important boards. Three other individuals described by critics as having hard-right or Sangh Parivar-aligned positions have also been appointed chairpersons of language boards.

“It is interesting that the list was not placed before the Syndicate, yet the order was issued. The Syndicate now has to ratify it. In fact, they may have no objection to accommodating teachers with Hindutva leanings. The Syndicate was reconstituted after the UDF came to power, yet the Boards of Studies have minimal representation of teachers with a Left background. The Sangh Parivar is eyeing the education sector, and the UDF is simply allowing it to happen,” PK Khaleemuddin, a former Syndicate member, told The Federal.

Former Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu, in a sharp criticism of the appointments, described them as a gift from the UDF to the Sangh Parivar.

“The UDF-led Calicut Syndicate’s gift to the Sangh Parivar is 32 members on the Boards of Studies,” she said, accusing the Congress and Indian Union Muslim League of demonstrating their political allegiance through the appointments. Bindu alleged that the selection process had disregarded academic experience, subject expertise and regional representation. She questioned why experienced teachers from colleges affiliated with the university had been left out despite being available in substantial numbers.

Experienced faculty left out of boards

“While there are many experienced teachers in colleges affiliated with the University of Calicut in several disciplines, not even one of them has been included in some boards. Instead, people from other universities, self-financing colleges and among guest lecturers have been nominated,” she said.

She also alleged that the same woman teacher had been included twice in one board, raising questions about the care taken in preparing the lists. Another point of contention is the appointment of retired teachers to head important postgraduate boards. Bindu questioned the rationale behind bringing back teachers who had retired a long time ago, particularly when postgraduate curriculum revision was approaching.

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“It is not clear what the Syndicate intended by bringing back teachers who retired long ago and appointing them chairpersons of important postgraduate boards,” she said, adding that such appointments raised questions about their familiarity with newer academic reforms, including the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP).

Questions over board representation

The timing of the appointments has therefore become a major concern among critics. With curriculum revision on the horizon, they argue that the boards should be equipped with teachers who understand the changes already under way in undergraduate education and can assess their implications for postgraduate courses.

Bindu also questioned appointments in specific disciplines. She pointed to the appointment of a person from outside the university as chairperson of the Board of Studies in Travel and Tourism, arguing that the decision gave the impression that suitable teachers were unavailable within the institution. She further alleged that representation from affiliated colleges was inadequate, with only two or three of the ten members on some boards representing those colleges. Regional representation, she said, had also been overlooked. According to her statement, the undergraduate and postgraduate Physics boards had no representation from Palakkad district, while the undergraduate Mathematics board had no member from Thrissur district.

The concerns were also raised by three teachers’ organisations in a joint statement. Dr C Shibi, secretary of the Association of Calicut University Teachers; Dr PV Raghudas, Calicut regional secretary of the Association of Kerala Government College Teachers; and Dr VK Brijesh, Calicut regional secretary of the All Kerala Private College Teachers’ Association, criticised the reconstitution.

Concerns over academic standards

They said the process had disregarded regional balance, teachers’ service experience and subject expertise, warning that the decisions could damage academic standards.

The appointments have also drawn flak from student and left-wing groups, which argue that the presence of experienced teachers in affiliated colleges makes their exclusion difficult to justify. They have raised concerns about the influence the newly constituted boards could exercise over syllabuses and the broader academic direction of the university.

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The teachers’ and students’ associations argue that such appointments could undermine academic standards by placing political considerations above disciplinary knowledge and teaching experience. Their allegations have added a political dimension to the controversy, with critics questioning whether the appointments reflect an attempt to expand the influence of right-wing organisations within the university’s academic structures.

The Federal contacted Higher Education Minister Roji M John, for his response, but he was unavailable for comment. The story will be updated if a response is received.