| Could what Alexander Pope once wrote happen in a | | | | president of the afternoon session who was |
| college in Malabar? Read on to learn about the | | | | expected to lead a workshop on the theme of the |
| conduct of a seminar on higher education which | | | | seminar. The ‘session president’ had a mere |
| affirms what the poet once wrote. The seminar dealt | | | | three year college teaching experience, while most of |
| with a theme of profound significance - Problems and | | | | the teachers of the neighbouring institutions who |
| prospects in restructuring of the UG courses in Kerala | | | | wanted to attend the seminar had more than ten |
| and was sponsored by the Higher Education Council , | | | | years experience! |
| Government of Kerala. This article tells you how it | | | | Enquiries revealed that the normal procedure to be |
| was reduced to the status of a local residential | | | | followed in conducting Extension Activities such as |
| association meeting! | | | | seminars in institutions of higher learning was flouted |
| It is hard to believe that the seminar hosted by a | | | | by the college which hosted the seminar. It was |
| premier institution of higher education in the Malabar | | | | shocking to learn that the decision to conduct this |
| region, the Government College of Teacher | | | | significant seminar was not discussed in the hosting |
| Education, Calicut on 13th March 2008, could turn out | | | | college’s Staff Council meeting. The ‘seminar |
| to be a mockery of higher education. The total | | | | coordinator’ and the afternoon ‘session |
| participants who registered to attend the seminar | | | | president’ it was learned had assumed these |
| was less than fifteen! Of the abysmally low | | | | position themselves, even though there were many |
| registered participants, nine were teachers of the | | | | senior and experienced faculty members in the |
| college which hosted the seminar. Only six teachers | | | | college. |
| from the one hundred and fifty odd colleges affiliated | | | | Criticism was also leveled against the ‘seminar |
| to the University of Calicut were present! | | | | coordinator’ and the afternoon ‘session |
| Three teacher educators of the local colleges who | | | | president’ for denying opportunity for |
| registered for the seminar, disgusted at the conduct | | | | participants to present papers on the theme of the |
| of the seminar, in protest, left the venue without | | | | seminar, despite repeated requests by the Principal. |
| attending the after noon session of the seminar. | | | | (Could this be one reason why the Principal |
| A few teachers of neighbouring institutions it was | | | | disappeared from the Seminar hall , 45 minutes after |
| found , refused to attend the seminar for two | | | | the commencement of the seminar, never to return |
| reasons . First, the school background of an invited | | | | again?) |
| speaker of the morning session (A Project Officer of | | | | Can such irresponsible acts in a teacher training |
| SSA- a primary school development programme) for | | | | college , which involves the criminal waste of money |
| a seminar on higher education was improper. Second, | | | | given by the Government of Kerala, which is nothing |
| they were sceptical of the intellectual calibre of the | | | | but the tax payer’s money be justified??? |