The Central University of Kerala in Kasargod has issued a circular, according to which the research fellows pursuing their PhD from the university will have to choose topics which are “in accordance with the national priorities.”
The circular issued on Wednesday, 13 March, further says that the researchers will have to choose their topic from a “shelf of projects” prepared by the various faculties of the university, considering “national priorities.”
The decision has been taken to “discourage research in irrelevant areas,” the circular says.
The circular says that it was issued following a Vice Chancellors’ meeting in New Delhi in December.
Speaking to the New Indian Express, the University’s Vice Chancellor G Gopa Kumar said, “The nation’s priority means its economy, technology, food security, social issues. A 25-year-old student will not know what the country needs. So it is better to give him/her ideas.”
The students however disagree and view the decision as a move to muffle dissent.
“When a student takes up research topics on the LGBTQ+ or Dalit communities, there will naturally be discussions and discourse about these issues on the campus; and the authorities fear this,” a student told The News Minute, on condition of anonymity.
“As far as we can comprehend, through this circular, the authorities do not want to take any more students who voice against them,” said Ajith, another PhD scholar of CUK.
(With inputs from The News Minute and New Indian Express.)
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