In what can be seen as a move towards reforms at Thiruvananthapuram’s University College following the stabbing incident on July 12, the state Higher Education department on Saturday ordered the transfer of 11 teachers from the college to another in the city.
The incident of violence where a final year undergraduate student was stabbed by members of the SFI unit of the college had opened a can of worms revealing how the teachers of the college were also fuelling the rise of student violence in the campus.
Among the teachers who have been transferred is Assistant Professor K Viswambharan, who was also the stand-in principal of the college when the stabbing incident took place. A day following the incident, Viswambharan had told TNM that since the teachers and faculty were busy with the admission processes in the college, it took some time for them to learn about the violence which had erupted in the campus during which the student was stabbed. This justification by the principal met with huge criticism from the media as well as from the student community of the college.
As per reports, the others who were transferred include E Abdul Latheef, Assistant Professor of Arabic, who was also in charge of examinations at the college, and VS Vineeth, the college union adviser. Most of the other teachers who were transferred are reportedly members of a Left leaning teachers’ association.
TNM had earlier reported on the reasons as to why the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the students’ outfit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), enjoyed undue power and authority in the campus. It was understood that they were being fostered by various teachers of the union, who went easy on them when it came to examinations, attendance, and so on.
The massive transfer implemented by the Directorate of Collegiate Education is considered to be one of the moves to improve the standard of education at the college.