KPCTA raises concern over financial loss incurred by Kannur varsity

The Kerala Private College Teachers Association (KPCTA) Kannur regional committee has raised concerns over financial loss incurred by Kannur University owing to the discontinuation of Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd) and Master of Physical Education (MPEd) courses in 2021. The university has been burdened with a financial loss amounting to ₹10.27 crore.

According to KPCTA regional president Shino P. Jose, the courses, which had been running since 2001 and benefiting thousands of students in North Malabar, were discontinued under the administration of former Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran.

The decision was based on a letter from head of the Physical Education and Sports Science Department of the university Anil Ramachandran, stating that the courses were not approved by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). The NCTE rejected the application and subsequent appeals, citing a delay in filing the appeal and inadequate faculty members.

However, discontinuing the courses led to a substantial financial loss for the university. The sports department remained inactive for two years, while the university continued to allocate an annual salary of ₹1.10 crore for one professor, one associate professor, and three assistant professors.

From May 2022 onwards, there were no students enrolled in the department’s programs, which previously had over 300 students. The university had been generating an annual income of ₹80 lakhs from the courses, despite NCTE approval being non-mandatory. However, the University of Calicut and the Mahatma Gandhi University have been conducting similar programs without NCTE approval, following the University Grants Commission rules that allow universities to conduct programs independently, said a faculty member.

He pointed out that in an attempt to mitigate the financial loss, the university later introduced a Master of Physical Education Science (MPES) and an integrated Master of Physical Education and Sports (IMPES) courses. However, these courses were not approved by NCTE further complicating the situation. Besides, there were fewer takers for the new courses.

The committee calls for accountability and transparency, demanding a thorough investigation of the financial and administrative decisions behind the issue.