Roji M John
He said the draft preparation was at the preliminary stage based on a Kerala High Court directive following petitions filed after the 2018 murder of a student at Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam.
Speaking to reporters in Kochi, John said govt and the higher education department wouldn’t support any move to suppress or ban student politics. “The court had suggested universities to frame student codes of conduct, with the 2005 code of conduct of MG University cited as a model,” he said. John said the Kerala University syndicate had constituted an eight-member subcommittee, including CPM-affiliated members, to examine the court order. “The document currently circulating is only a preliminary draft prepared at the official level for initial discussions,” he said. The subcommittee will examine the draft in detail before seeking written feedback, including their suggestions and concerns, from representatives of student organisations across the state, John said. The final document will be framed without affecting students’ organisational freedom or democratic rights and will be prepared by consulting students’ organisations, he said.
Kochi : Higher education minister Roji M John on Sunday said the draft of students’ code of conduct under discussion at Kerala University didn’t seek to ban campus politics and that no final decision was taken on it.
He said Vijayan could have clarified the matter by speaking to syndicate members of his own party. John criticised leader of the opposition Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM functionaries for sharing a social media post, without verifying the facts, suggesting that Kerala University had banned campus politics.