RLV College students on strike; seek permanent faculty members

Students of fine arts at the RLV College of Music and Fine Arts at Thripunithura have been on strike for over two weeks now demanding that the MG University take adequate steps to immediately fill up all vacant faculty positions.

They also allege that the college authorities are biased against the fine arts departments in favour of music.

“Of the 26 sanctioned faculty positions in fine arts departments, just four have been filled with permanent faculty members. It is pathetic, as there are just two permanent teachers, head of the department included, for painting and applied arts,” says Praveen Babu, a final year Bachelor of Fine Arts student who is on a fast.

While the students began their protest a fortnight ago, the college authorities sought police help to oust them from the campus on Saturday. They have put up a platform just outside the college gate, in the narrow space between the road and the compound wall and are carrying on the strike.

The students say that the situation is worse for the sculpture department, launched in 1980, which has not got permanent faculty. “Further, a faculty position has not been created for art history. As we graduate, we have to learn art history from other sources,” says Praveen Babu.

But the larger grouse of the students is that V.K. Ramesan, the college principal who superannuated on Saturday, had asked the fine arts departments to hand over two rooms under their control to music.

Mr. Ramesan, originally from the music faculty before becoming principal, says the classroom requirements of Kathakali music were on his mind when he issued an order asking the fine arts departments to vacate room for music. “But the order has since been revoked,” he said, expressing reservations about the striking students’ intent.

Some students, he alleged, were staying on the campus which was not allowed. That is why the police were summoned to keep a watch over them and to flush them out of the campus since summer vacation had begun since March 28, he said, adding that A.R. Devi had taken over as in-charge of the college until a regular principal would be appointed. Mr. Ramesan said while there had been some delay in the appointment of faculty – only seven of the 13 departments have permanent faculty, according to him – appointments were now being carried from PSC lists.

The striking students also said there was also a need to revise the syllabus for fine arts.