Babu Sebastian - M G University new Vice Chancellor

Since the last May the position for the vice chancellor for Mahatma Gandhi University was left vacant, after the former Vice chancellor Dr. A V George was removed from the post by Governor Sheila Dikshit on the grounds that he was not eligible for the post. Dr Babu Sebastian is appointed as the new successor to the post. Babu Sebastian is currently the Director of the State Institute of Educational Technology.

He has worked as a professor in the Malayalam Department of Saint Thomas College, Pala. His experience include nineteen years college-level teaching and seventeen years as University Research Guide and has produced six PhDs. He worked ten years and eight months as the Director of State Institute of Educational Technology.

The Governor made the appointment from a panel consisting of three names proposed by the three-member Search Committee which was appointed for this purpose. The committee was chaired by E.K. Bharat Bhushan (chief secretary) and comprising Balram, director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and Benny Behanan,MLA. The panel had three names from which they had to choose one among the names were Sabu Thomas, head, Department of Nanoscience, Mahatma Gandhi University, Prasanna Kumar, head, Department of Geology, University of Kerala and Babu Sebastine. Mr. Sebastine's name was proposed by Kerala Congress.

Mahatma Gandhi University Teachers Association (MGUTA) had appealed to the Governor and the government to strictly abide with the UGC Regulations in the appointment of the new Vice Chancellor given the controversies that had shocked the university about the qualifications of the last vice chancellor who was removed on the grounds that he was not eligible for the post. This dilemma that again such mistake could happen, started because the appointing of the new vice chancellor took place quickly.

Dr Babu Sebastian sorts to reform the whole education sector of Kerala. He promises to bring new policies and reforms so as to elevate the standard of education prevailing in Kerala. Dr Sebastian supports the aid of new technologies to help bring reforms to education sector, he proposes to bring Wi-Fi in every school and college campus so as to facilitate easy access to information from net.