Ire over cancellation of Calicut varsity courses in Lakshadweep

Island administration unhappy with students’ academic quality, wants them to study in Kerala

Academics and students’ organisations have objected to Calicut University’s decision to discontinue postgraduate courses and B.A. (Arabic) now being offered at its study centres in Lakshadweep. The Syndicate of the university on Wednesday decided to stop the courses available at the centres on Kavaratti, Androth and Kadamath islands on the orders of the Lakshadweep Administration. The island authorities are reportedly not happy with the academic quality of students. The courses to be discontinued are M.A. in Arabic, English, and Politics respectively and M.Sc. in Aquaculture and Maths respectively. Though the administration primarily wanted to discontinue postgraduate courses, it wants undergraduate course in Arabic too cancelled. Other undergraduate courses will continue. The administration reportedly wants students to study in Kerala. Ajas, a functionary of the Lakshadweep unit of the National Students Union of India, the students’ wing of the Congress, told The Hindu on Thursday that there was a plan to launch tourism-based and job-oriented courses. A paramedical centre too is being set up. “We learn that the courses will be affiliated to a Gujarat-based university. However, all those steps are shrouded in secrecy. Only the Administrator and the Assistant Collector are privy to information,” he said. Anees of the Lakshadweep Students’ Association said the organisation was collecting details about the decision.