TN Budget 2025: New colleges fine, but what about existing ones, ask stakeholders

CHENNAI: The State Budget has evoked a mixed response among academicians and educationists, over fund allocation to Higher Education, even as Tamil Nadu government has allocated more than 200 crore for this sector compared to the previous year.

Stakeholders feel that more funds could have been allocated to further improve higher education in the State. Experts also feel that the State government has not mentioned any recruitment process of teaching staff in the State-run universities and the colleges. They have pointed out how the State government has announced appointment of 1,721 postgraduate teachers and 841 graduate teachers through direct recruitment in schools

P Thirunavukkarasu, vice-chairman, Association of University Teachers (AUT) told DT Next that the State budget has several welfare measures including increasing the admissions of the students and improving the infrastructure facilities of the institutions. “But how would these measures be possible without filling the existing teaching vacancies in higher education institutions, he asked. He said there was no announcement in the Budget with regard to the long term demand from the teaching community to continue the old pension scheme.

Anna University Teachers' Association president and professor Dr I Arul Aram welcomed the budget announcement that Anna University activities would be enhanced for the period of five years. "However, apart from engineering colleges, which are equipped with enough professors, the government should also concentrate on recruiting professors in Arts and Science colleges. The recruitment notification for appointing teaching staff in these colleges was released two years back. Now the Teachers Recruitment Board should issue fresh notification for this recruitment as several new teaching aspirants will also be benefited," he said.

State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) general secretary P B Prince Gajendra Babu, said the announcement with regard to establishing a new government Arts and Science College in ten districts of Tamil Nadu is most welcome. "The stand of the government that it will not provide grant for the salaries and pension of the university staff was very disappointing and against the vision of establishing State Universities", he said adding that "there was a great expectation that the budget will make necessary allocation for providing full grant to the State universities and the budget did not address the basic issue in this regard."