New Veterinary University: who is really benefited?

When the Chief Minister of Kerala lays the foundation stone for the new veterinary university building, the dreams of vets and farmers take wings. Sri. C.Divakaran, Minister for Animal Husbandry and the Pro-Chancellor of the University in his article released on 1st August 2010, hopes that the proposed university would

1. ‘provide quality education, research, extension and management in veterinary sciences incorporating the latest technological advancements in bio technology and information technology in livestock enterprises’.

2. ‘start courses in wildlife management, short term diploma courses for farmers, educated unemployed youth and prospective entrepreneurs’, and

3. ‘offer consultancy services, help preparation of projects, develop new business models and expand public participation in the management of government and other farms.’

The new University will encompass all the institutions catering to the sector, including the two veterinary colleges (Mannuthy and Pookot), Advanced Centre for Dairy and Food Technology (Mannuthy), K.R.Narayanan College of Dairy Science and Technology (Kolahalamedu) , veterinary hospital (Thrissur) and several animal farms presently under KAU. According to Dr.A.Jalaludeen, (Associate Dean, COVAS, Pookot), the proposed University ‘doesn’t envisage a conventional campus that produces degrees and graduates and with a small number of students, they intend to play a pivotal role to coordinate various agencies, departments, units and institutions engaged in animal husbandry and related areas’(‘The Hindu’, 29 June 2010).

The structure of the University will be on par with other universities, the Governor as Chancellor, the Minister for Animal Husbandry as Pro-Chancellor, and will be headed by Vice Chancellor, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Registrar, Finance Officer and Deans of respective academic areas. The system will be supported by a General Council and an Executive Council. With 336 teaching staff and 20 post graduate departments (18 of them doctoral research departments), the University plans to offer B.Tech and M.Sc in dairying also. The University has ambitious plans to set up a centre for animal feed technology, an institute for higher bio-security, a centre for entrepreneurship, a centre for microbiology, an institute for vaccine production, a centre for excellence in pig production, and a virology laboratory.

According to the Minister for Animal Husbandry, funds will not be a constraint to the proposed University. It will fetch enough funds from ICAR, Union Government, local self-governments and other funding agencies.
Now everybody seems happy. The state will be proud to have another university, the Minister for Animal Husbandry becomes a Pro-Chancellor too, better avenues as Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellor, Registrar to a select few, the retirement age of the teaching staff may, DV, be elevated to 62 years and there will be more fund flow and prosperity to the university.

The farming community and the field veterinarians were a bit skeptical on the ‘achievements and track record’ of the scientists and members of the faculty of veterinary and animal sciences over the years. The farmers always wondered on how the ‘scientific research’ supported them for better living conditions. The performance and administration of the colleges and farms is always a "model" to any management student. Hope, things will change and let us keep our fingers crossed until then.

Do you think that the proposed university will turn around the fate of the millions of farmers of Kerala? Who do you think as the real beneficiaries of the new University? Will it be able to find solutions to the poor productivity and low income from the sector? Will the common veterinarian get enough support to find solutions to the field problems? Do you think that the research by the proposed university will bring positive results in augmenting the production from the animal husbandry sector? And finally, how does the new University help support the common farmer of the State?

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