Government demands on SFCs unacceptable

KOCHI: “The political leadership in the state was trying to come up with pressure tactics against the Church as part of an effort to promote a section of students admitted to the self-financing professional colleges in the state,” said advocate Kurian George Kannamthanam. He was delivering the keynote address at a seminar organised by the Newman Association of India on ‘the Church’s view on self-financing educational institutions’ in Kochi the other day.  He pointed out that the Supreme Court through an order in 1993 has permitted self-financing educational institutions to admit students to all seats in the colleges without government intervention. However, in 2001 the state government demanded half the seats in self-financing colleges which goes against the Constitution and the Supreme Court verdict. He pointed out that the demands by the government in this regard were unacceptable. The government should also come forward offering scholarships to deserving students, he said. Speaking on the occasion Fr A Adappoor said that the demand that the Church should bring in social justice in the field of professional education cannot be justified. Newman Association president Mathew Joseph, who presided over the meeting, said that legal experts in the country should check whether the government has the right to come up with such a demand. Advocate Roy Chacko, Advocate Joseph Therattil, Grance Mankuzhikkari, K J Peter and Antony Palamattom also spoke.