Thiruvananthapuram: The government expects the assembly election date to be announced in a few days, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, on Saturday, as he asked students of institutions of higher education to put forward suggestions and demands that they think should find place in the LDF election manifesto. He was addressing university/college students at the ‘Nava Keralam Yuva Keralam’ programme organised by Kerala University at the senate hall.
“When we started this programme a few days ago, I said the election notification would be out in a few weeks. Now, I say the notification is likely to be issued by the election commission in a few days,” he said.
The CM told student participants that the state government has fulfilled 570 of the 600 promises the LDF made in its 2016 assembly election manifesto.
“Everybody knows why we could not make good on all the promises. We have had to face several unforeseen crises and emergencies. Now, we know that people expect much more. Another manifesto has to be prepared when facing the election. I’m here, primarily, to hear your opinions and suggestions, which could be included in the next manifesto,” Vijayan said.
Officially, the interactive programmes organized by universities with great fanfare are supposed to deliberate on the future of higher education in the state.
Vijayan said his government sought to develop the state into a knowledge society by promoting academic excellence and according top priority to research activities in the higher education sector.
“Our higher education institutions should strive to become centres of excellence. We must have institutions that are placed among the top 10 higher education institutions in the country. We should have institutions that rank within the 100 best institutions in the world. Money won’t be a hurdle in achieving these ambitious targets. We need faculties of higher standards and our research activities should be fecund enough to enrich society.”
The proposed K-FON project, he said, would bridge the digital divide to a great extent by ensuring easy and free internet access to the poor. The CM said students are free to make suggestions and place demands which they deem important to the future of higher education. The organizers of the event said the university has made arrangements for students to place their suggestions in writing to the government. Mediapersons were asked to vacate the senate hall as soon the interaction between the CM and students began.
Higher education minister K T Jaleel, state planning board vice chairman V K Ramachandran and university vice chancellor V P Mahadevan Pillai were among those who shared the dais with the CM.