What does an educational institution need the most? Surely, stable leadership in the shape of a principal is a key necessity. However, the first and only autonomous government college for Arts and Sciences in Kerala, the prestigious Maharaja's College at Ernakulam is earning the dubious distinction of being a temporary halt for special grade principals. Since October 2021, the college has seen the arrival and departure of four principals. Now, a government order has announced the appointment of a fifth. But if we are to count those who were given charge when the principals went on leave, the number would come to around 10.
The principals who took charge and then left after a few months are Dr K Jayakumar, Dr Mathew George, Dr Mercy Joseph and Dr V Anil. The latest appointee, Dr VS Joy, said a lecturer under the condition of anonymity. The frequent changing of the head of the institution has adversely affected the functioning of the college, the lecturer pointed out. Many infrastructure development projects have come to a standstill, said the lecturer.
According to a professor, many of the principals who left have alleged that they didn't feel like continuing in the college due to frequent interference from the governing council of the college. They said they found roadblocks at every turn when it comes to the implementation of the development work, the professor said. Some of the projects completed by spending huge sums remain useless as they haven't been commissioned. The new hostel building was completed a year ago but is yet to be inaugurated. Meanwhile, the students are forced to spend heavily for accommodation outside the campus, said a lecturer.
Similar is the case with the new library complex. The only use it has is to act as a strongroom whenever there is an election, the lecturer pointed out. While the state government had approved Rs 6.2 crore for the renovation of the synthetic track at the Maharaja's College Stadium, the venue is yet to see even a spade. Other infrastructure facilities too are in a poor state. "Have you seen a college that has a dearth of toilets?" asked the lecturer.
The college has been plagued by many other issues too, with the power outage during the undergraduate and postgraduate examinations being a major embarrassment. That story had gone viral. Students were forced to write the examination using the flashlight of their mobile phones, said the lecturer. Akhil Babu, SFI unit secretary, said the frequent change of principals has messed up everything at the college. Be it the issues related to examinations or the lack of facilities in the college, no headway is happening on the decisions taken. By the time a principal studies the issues and draws up plans, the person gets the marching orders. So, when the next person comes in, everything has to be started right from scratch, he said. Agreeing with Akhil, KSU unit general secretary Robinson said, "We need someone who will be there for a long time."
Meanwhile, governing council chairman N Ramakanthan refuted allegations that the high-handedness of the council is the reason why principals leave the institution. "That's wrong. The council works in tandem with the principals when it comes to the all-around development of the college. Principals are the persons who implement the decisions taken in the governing council meetings," he said.
On the constantly vacant principal's chair, he said, "For an institution to grow, especially an autonomous one, we need a head who will be on the seat for a long time. But that's not happening, which is a very sad truth. The situation can change if a principal is selected from among the special grade professors after a thorough screening and is appointed for a period of three years."
