Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has said that universities and classrooms are markets for conflicting views and different ideologies. Students should be exposed to every aspect of learning.
The Governor said here on Saturday that he was not in a position to comment on the developments in Kannur University. But in general, limiting the scope of the study was not appropriate. “They teach Karl Marx in a foreign university, even when those nations do not follow Marxism.”
“Charvaka rubbished everything Indians considered sacred. However, no one threw stones at him. Instead, ancient India revered the philosopher as Mahatma Charvaka. His thought is one of the five major streams of Indian philosophy.”
panel formation
Meanwhile, Kannur University constituted a two-member committee to examine the syllabus of the third semester of the MA Governance and Politics programme, as the inclusion of writings by Hindutva ideologues sparked widespread protests. Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Raveendran said that former Kerala University professor J. Prabhas and former Calicut University professor KS Pavitran’s committee will submit a report within five days.
Mr. Raveendran said there was nothing wrong in including the writings of Hindutva thinkers such as MS Golwalkar and VD Savarkar in the curriculum. A student had to read texts and syllabus with the aim of helping him develop a critical understanding of the subjects.
Mr. Raveendran said that he has submitted a report to the Minister of Higher Education that incorporates the writings of Hindutva thinkers to enable students to develop a critical understanding of various aspects of Indian political thought. He met Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K. Sudhakaran’s charge that the writings of Hindu thinkers were incorporated with the knowledge of ministers, CPI(M) and syndicate members. The Vice-Chancellor said that there was a lack in the structure and content of the course. But he reiterated that no attempt was made to saffronise it.
(With inputs from Kannur Bureau)