State govt. will continue talks with Governor: Bindu

The Left Democratic Front government is reportedly planning to resume its efforts to reach a consensus with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arleker, also the Chancellor of State-run universities, over various issues concerning the higher education sector.

Higher Education Minister R. Bindu, who, along with Industries Minister P. Rajeeve called on Mr. Arlekar on August 3, told the media here on Tuesday that the talks had been inconclusive. “We will meet the Governor again. Last time, we spoke with him for about one-and-a-half hours. However, Mr. Rajeeve and I had to rush to Ernakulam to pay tributes to critic and writer M.K. Sanoo,” she said. Ms. Bindu said that another round of talks would be held in the coming days, but the schedule had not been fixed.

Meanwhile, Ms. Bindu supported General Education Minister V. Sivankutty’s proposal to do away with the practice of having “back benches” in school classrooms. She said that such a move would help the teachers view all students without any pre-conceived notions. It could also lead to the students actively participating in the classroom sessions. Asked if the colleges in the State could also follow the practice, she said that the respective authorities might have to take a call on it.