Move to include Shailaja book in varsity syllabus draws flak
Critics said the move was aimed at politicising the university syllabus and that the decision was taken by an ad-hoc committee illegally constituted by the vice chancellor
KOCHI: The decision of the Kannur University to include the autobiography of CPI(M) MLA and former Kerala health minister KK Shailaja among reading topics in the syllabus for MA English course has drawn flak from various quarters.
Shailaja’s book ‘My life as a Comrade’, written by her along with Manju Sara Rajan and published in June this year, was recommended as reading material in an elective course for first-year semester students of MA English. The book deals with the Communist leader’s experiences from her childhood to rising through the ranks of the CPI(M) and eventually becoming the state’s health minister in 2016.
The autobiography found space in the university syllabus alongside books, such as ‘The story of my experiments with truth’ by Mahatma Gandhi, ‘Waiting for a visa’ by BR Ambedkar and ‘Mother forest: The unfinished story of CK Janu’ by Janu Bhaskaran.
Critics said the move was aimed at politicising the university syllabus and that the decision was taken by an ad-hoc committee illegally constituted by the vice chancellor.
“For close to two years, there has been no Board of Studies present in Kannur University. The last Board of Studies which was constituted by the vice chancellor Gopinath Raveendran without the approval of the Governor was struck down by the high court. Now, an ad-hoc committee illegally constituted by the VC has included the book of Shailaja alongside great leaders like Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. The move is akin to insulting Gandhi and Mandela,” said RS Sasikumar, chairman of the Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC), an outfit demanding transparency and reforms in the state’s universities.
“Shailaja is currently facing inquiry by the Lokayukta in connection with the case of purchase of large quantities of PPE kits at inflated prices during the pandemic. Such a person’s autobiography should not be a part of the university syllabus,” added Sasikumar.
The SUCC has sent a letter to the Governor requesting him to strike down the move of the ad-hoc committee to include the book.
Congress student wing KSU and the teachers’ union KPCTA, which backs the party, have also opposed the move of the Kannur University.
Meanwhile, Shailaja, the MLA from Mattannur, told a local TV channel, “My book need not be included in the university syllabus. I have not personally asked anyone to do it as well..”
Shailaja, who served as the state’s health minister between 2016 and 2021 and hailed by many for efficiently tackling crises like the Nipah epidemic and the Covid pandemic during her term, was not inducted into the cabinet when the CPM-led LDF returned to power after the 2021 assembly elections.
Kannur University’s vice chancellor and pro vice chancellor were not available for comment.
