Kerala Professor quits after asked to admit PhD students working on 'national priorities'

What was the circular?

A Mar 13 circular has been quoted by NDTV, "All the Heads of the Department are hereby directed to convene the meeting of faculties and to prepare a shelf of projects to be taken for research study pertaining to their subject considering national priorities. The student can opt from the shelf of projects."

"...discourage research in irrelevant areas. When fellows are being admitted for PhDs, the topic for PhDs should be in accordance to national priorities. Allotting privilege topics to students should be dispensed with." 

Pillai, who resigned as a protest against the circular, told NDTV, "I was absolutely shocked when I read this circular. How can a circular like this be passed to all departments, and remain unnoticed. The only thing I could do is resign from board. I thought it was a very insignificant act on my behalf, but the only thing I could do. Who decides what are national priorities? And why should research be restricted to just that?"

The Central University of Kerala falls under the Human Resource Development Ministry.

Congress protests:

"Now self-declared wise minister of a very wise Prime Minister will tell intellectuals of the country how to do their works. Indeed a  little knowledge is a dangerous thing," Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar in a Facebook post.

Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, tweeted, "Disgraceful HRD instruction that researchers can pursue PhDs only on topics of ‘national interest’ prompts Kerala professor to quit. The rest of us can join her protest by voting the troglodytes out!"

Image Credit: Meena T Pillai Facebook