Separate AYUSH University will marginalise AYUSH sector, claims ayurveda college teachers’ body

Published 10 August 2026 · education

The All Kerala Government Ayurveda College Teachers’ Association has opposed the proposed move to set up a separate AYUSH university, which it says will marginalise

The All Kerala Government Ayurveda College Teachers’ Association has opposed the proposed move to set up a separate AYUSH university, which it says will marginalise AYUSH education sector. In a statement here, the association said that the government’s announcement to establish a separate university for the AYUSH sector, along with the formation of an official-level committee to draft a Bill for the purpose, has not been made on the basis of a sound academic and health policy perspective. It has appealed to the government to reconsider the decision. The State’s public health policy is based on the principle that modern medicine and various systems of medicine, including Ayurveda, should move forward through mutual cooperation and an integrated approach.

In this context, the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) has been functioning successfully by bringing together different disciplines of healthcare on a common academic platform. The AYUSH sector has also had a significant role in the conduct of courses and examinations, academic training and research. Against this backdrop, the idea of a separate AYUSH university has never emerged as a demand from teachers, academics or organisations in the AYUSH sector. The decision has been taken without any consultation whatsoever with the teachers or the experts in the Ayurveda sector and thus raises the question whether the move is an attempt to remove AYUSH from the mainstream of the State’s health education and research, the association said Expresses apprehension It said that ideally, the government should be taking steps to develop the School of Fundamental Research in Ayurveda (SFRA), Thrippunithura, and the International Research Institute of Ayurveda (IRIA), Kannur into research centres of national and international standards.

It also expressed apprehensions over reports that the land and infrastructure of the SFRA at Thrippunithura may be utilised for the proposed AYUSH university and said that the land and infrastructure allotted for Ayurveda research and higher studies should not be

diverted. The association also spoke about the additional administrative and financial burden that the government will incur if a separate AYUSH university were to be created for a handful of institutions in the State and requested the government to reconsider the move.