By Abdul Basith MA, TwoCircles.net,
Panakkad [Malappuram]: The south Indian off campus of Aligarh Muslim University [AMU] at Chelamala, Malappuram was indeed a major initiative towards providing an easy access to the prestigious universities of the nation for the Muslim community in Kerala. Following the AMU, the Hyderabad based English and Foreign Languages University [EFLU] too has decided to start its off campus in Malappuram from the next academic year [2013].
A team headed by P Madhavan, Dean of the university, and Associate Professor Vipin Kumar visited the proposed site at Edu-Health City campus in Panakkad and submitted its report to the Vice Chancellor of the university, Sunaina Singh. The report sent via e-mail says that the land acquired at Panakkad, is the most suitable one for building the off campus in Kerala. The team was expected to carry out this land inspection by around 22nd of May but got delayed due to various reasons. The Panakkad site was earlier considered for the AMU off campus, which later got changed to Chelamala, Perintalmanna due to some political issues.
Earlier, EFLU authorities had decided to send university representatives headed by Sunaina Singh on 22nd June. But the decision was changed after the HRD Ministry issued a special order to complete the feasibility study as early as possible. Following this, the university appointed the new team and asked the ministry to give an explanation for the delay in the inspection of the land for the Malappuram campus identified by the state government two months ago.
The EFLU campus at Hyderabad only has 30 acres of land and there are around 2000 students enrolled under different programmes like Ph.D., M.Phil, MA, BA and teachers training. The main campus of EFLU works within the Osmania University campus at Hyderabad. Some 90 percentage of the students are accommodated in hostels within the campus and so congestion due to lack of enough land has stayed as a problem since times. The university though made attempts to acquire further more land in Hyderabad for improving the infrastructure facilities went unsuccessful due to various reasons.
The two off campus presently working under the university too are facing problems due to lack of land acquired. Under the light of these factors, the team believes that the proposed off campus in Kerala have wide prospects for development due to the availability of more than enough land beyond the urgent requirement of building and running the off campus. “The availability of land beyond the urgent requirement is an important factor as this would help in bringing in new courses and related developments in to the off campus”, the team observed. The team took into consideration the transportation facilities to the proposed site and that too were found as excellent.
The Kerala govt along with INKEL [a joint sector firm set up by govt of Kerala] has already initiated efforts to upgrade the Panakkad Industrial Park into an Edu-Health city. It is the land within this park, the Kerala govt has proposed for EFLU as well. Classes will soon start in the Community College started by INKEL and the Kerala govt along with INKEL is about to start an ultra tech Cancer Hospital as well, with in this park. The total land acquired for the Edu-Health city is 272 acres. 100 acres of land has been set apart for the Community College and Cancer Hospital. The govt has the luxury to provide at least 100 acres of land from the rest 172 acres, for the Proposed EFLU off campus. The govt is thus expected to grant around 100 acres of land for EFLU and INKEL too won’t have any objections on this regard.
The proposed area of Panakkad Edu-Health City is close to the Malappuram town [capital city of Malappuram DT] and has the national highway passing by it. The Karipur air port too stays close to this proposed site. Kerala govt expects that bringing in EFLU into the Edu-Health city would mutually benefit each others prospects.
The Calicut University campus is also not so far and there are several acres of unutilised land with the University, which if given to the further development of EFLU off campus could serve its future prospects.
When the left front was ruling, the then educational minister MA Baby had recommended starting the off campus at Pathanapuram [Kollam Dt], but couldn’t acquire the proposed land and the hope of starting the off campus in Kerala had almost went in vain. With this favourable report from the university team regarding the proposed land, the hopes are now back.
Kerala Education minister P K Abdu Rabb and Malappuram district collector M C Mohandas accompanied the team. It is learnt that EFLU VC Sunaina Singh will also visit the Kerala campus later.
EFLU is the only university of its kind in South Asia specialised in teaching English and other foreign languages. The university facilitates advanced research and specialised training programmes in English and other foreign languages covering areas of teacher education, literature, linguistics and intercultural studies. Until now the Kerala govt has shown great interest towards the EFLU off campus and the ruling ally, IUML has indeed played a major role in bringing in the campus to Panakkad region of the Muslim concentrated district, Malappuram. EFLU will indeed turn out to become a major step in Malappuram’s and the Muslim community’s leap towards new heights.