Kerala CM writes to PM Modi to look into deportation of UK anthropologist
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to look into the "distressful" deportation of Filippo Osella, an anthropologist and academician from the UK, when he arrived in the southern state for a seminar.
Vijayan, in his letter, has requested the Prime Minister to "kindly look into this matter with the seriousness it deserves and issue instructions to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future".
Osella, Professor of Anthropology and South Asian Studies at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom (UK), had arrived in Kerala on March 24 to attend a seminar at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT).
However, he was deported on arrival at the Thiruvananthapuram airport.
"It is distressful that a reputed scholar like Prof. Osella had to face deportation at the Thiruvananthapuram airport when he arrived for participating in a seminar in Kochi," the CM said in his letter.
He further said the professor has conducted extensive research work in many places including in Kerala, where he is researching traditional fishing activities.
Vijayan said, in his letter, that India "has a rich tradition of welcoming foreign scholars and social scientists" for research purposes here and they have produced "valuable" publications. "We need to continue this tradition of being friendly and welcoming to scholars," he said.
Osella's recent research examines contemporary transformation of South Indian Muslims with field-work in Kozhikode and in a number of Gulf countries.
His new research, funded by the Sussex Sustainability Research Programme, explores new ways to make traditional fishing in Kerala safer and sustainable by co-producing knowledge on marine weather and fish resources with traditional fishermen and weather forecasters.
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Bill to set up single higher education regulator likely to be tabled in Parliament next week
New Delhi (PTI): A Bill which seeks to set up a single regulator for institutions of higher education is required to facilitate universities and other higher educational institutes become independent and self-governing, officials said.
The Bill is likely to be introduced in Parliament next week after it got the Union Cabinet's nod on Friday.
The proposed legislation, which was earlier christened the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, has now been named Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill.
A single higher education regulator, which was proposed in the new National Education Policy (NEP), looks to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
"The Bill proposes to set up a Higher Education Commission of India to facilitate universities and other higher educational institutes become independent and self-governing institutions and to promote excellence through a robust and transparent system of accreditation and autonomy. It is likely to be introduced (in Parliament) in the coming week," an official said.
While the UGC presently oversees non-technical higher education in the country, the AICTE oversees technical education, while the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education.
The Commission is proposed to be set up as a single higher education regulator, but medical and law colleges will not be brought under its ambit.
It is proposed to have three major roles -- regulation, accreditation and setting professional standards, officials said.
Funding, which is seen as the fourth vertical, is not proposed to be under the regulator so far. The autonomy for funding is proposed to be with the administrative ministry, they said.
