9. Brief Report of the Foundation Day Lecture

Around 150 delegates assembled in the Senate Chamber for the Foundation Day Lecture 2010 of the Kerala State Higher Education Council. The special invitees included Vice Chancellors from various universities who also were invited speakers for the two-day seminar on New Directions in Higher Education, organized along with the lecture. The gathering which included among others teacher educators, and research scholars were welcomed by Dr. K.N.Panikkar, Vice Chairman of the Kerala State Higher Education Council.

Dr. Panikkar began  his welcome speech by referring to the role till now being played by the Council which was essentially aimed at quality improvement and not related to administration. References were made to the earliest attempts at introducing the semester system  and the choice based credit system, the emphasis on continuous review of the system,  the formation   of   cluster of colleges and the workshops  for course designing involving teachers. He also underlined the two main principles on which the Council works:

• Academic freedom of students
• Academic freedom of teachers

When the  lecture on the theme ‘The Global Academic Revolution: Implications for India’ by Prof. Philip G.Altbach and the forty-five minute question answer session came to an end [Please view http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/the-global-academic-revolution-implications-for-india-lecture-excerpts-2829726.html] , copies of the text of the Presidential address by the Chairman of the Higher Education Council, the Hon. Minister for Education, Mr. M. A. Baby was circulated and read out in absentia as the State Legislative Assembly was in session.

Excerpts from the text of the Presidential Address :

*… We have been trying to evolve a Left Democratic alternative to neo-liberal policies and practices in education…Educational reforms carried out by the State government over the last four  years has had  the following broad objectives:

1. Expanding  the choices of students and teachers

2. Promoting the study of basic disciplines and research

3. Recognizing the importance constructivist approach to learning

4. Learning through academic collaboration  rather than competition

5. Implementation of fair, transparent and non-exploitative practices in educational institutions.

The programme ended with Mr. Thomas Joseph, member secretary of  the Higher Education Council offering the vote of thanks.