Gopinath Ravindran reappointed as Kannur University VC

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, on Tuesday, reappointed Prof Gopinath Ravindran as the vice-chancellor of Kannur University for four years with effect from November 24.
The reappointment, the first in the history of the higher education sector in state, was made even as the government had constituted a search committee for the selection of candidates fit for the post of the vice-chancellor and November 30 was notified as the last date for the candidates to send their applications.
Save University Campaign Committee, the whistle-blower group in the higher education sector, has already shot a letter to the governor against this reappointment. The committee said that the appointment could only be counted as a political reward for setting the ground for the alleged, illegal appointment of CPM leader KK Ragesh’s wife as associate professor at Kannur University’s Malayalam department. Ragesh is the chief minister’s private secretary.
“As per the University Act, the candidate selected as the vice-chancellor should be less than 60 years of age at the time of appointment. But, the governor ratified the government’s recommendation based on the claim that Gopinath Ravindran’s being a reappointment, the age bar set by the UGC need not be applicable in his case,” the campaign committee said.
It also alleged that the reappointment of Kannur vice-chancellor would leave other vice-chancellors more susceptible to political influence on a quid pro quo basis.
Gopinath Ravindran had allegedly gone ‘an extra mile’ by speeding up the selection process of candidates for the post of associate professor by, allegedly, flouting UGC norms.
It is alleged that the screening committee was set up the very next day after receiving all applications and an online interview was arranged in another four days. Also, the committee alleged that the first rank was given to Ragesh’s wife, flouting UGC norms. It wanted the governor to withdraw the reappointment of Gopinath Ravindran.