Speaking after declaring St Thomas' College of Thrissur Catholic Archdiocese, as an autonomous college, he said it was most unfortunate that Kerala was lagging far behind in the higher education sector than other states. It was not because educational institutions lacked proper facilities, but they were kept as 'caged birds' without giving opportunities for their growth and development.
He said the days of stifling growth of higher education in the State on 'flimsy principles and ideologies' were over it would be depriving of the opportunities of higher eduction for the coming generation, he said.
This is the first college under Calicut University to have the autonomous status.