Crisis in MG University over fund transfer

Kochi: A crisis is looming over MG University with a section of employees strongly resisting moves by the Syndicate to transfer Rs 50 crore from the own fund of the university to a co-operative society formed to run self-financing institutions coming under it.

They say that the move is taking  place at a time when the varsity was struggling to pay salaries and pension to its employees. The Mahatma Gandhi University Employees Union has also approached the Chancellor Governor Justice P. Sathasivam, seeking his intervention to stop this move.

MGU Employees Union president N. Mahesh told DC that the union would resort to an indefinite strike if the Syndicate meeting scheduled for Tuesday did not abandon the move to part with Rs 50 crore.

The society was formed in the wake of the Kerala University of Health Sciences’ stand that it was not willing to give affiliation to the Schools of Medical Education (SMEs) under MGU. “One amendment in the Act of the KUHS as done in the case of Kerala Technological University would have solved the entire mess now created by way of forming the society for self-financing institutions under MG University. The KTU Act amendment specifies that universities that have been running own colleges can continue to do so and give affiliation to them. Such an amendment in the Act of KUHS is not taking place despite our repeated requests,” said Mahesh.

A total of 12 BEd centres, eight SMEs, institutes for Library Science and Mass Communication and Journalism course, one engineering college and three Schools of Technical and Advanced Studies are being brought under the society.

“These institutions together have assets of Rs 600 crore and the university still setting apart another Rs 50 crore for them is beyond comprehension. The government non-plan allocation for the university registered an increase of only 15 percent last year while it was 32 percent a few years before. The non-plan
allocation last year was Rs 123 crore whereas the varsity needed Rs 179 crore to pay salaries and pension. The own fund of the university was at Rs 80 crore. It shows that the finances are in a very precarious position and there is no provision to sanction '50 crore to the society,” said Mahesh.