College students in Tamil Nadu seek transfers for better learning outcomes

CHENNAI: Following complaints from various stakeholders, including students, about poor quality of teaching in certain colleges in the State, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to ensure quality enhancement in the appointment of professors especially in self-financing Engineering, Arts and Science and Polytechnic colleges through qualification approval.

Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE), under the Higher Education Department, has been entrusted to accomplish the task in the quality enhancement of professors’ appointments.

The HED’s decision for quality enhancement in the appointment of teaching staff came against the backdrop of poor performance of colleges in the last few years. Additionally, thousands of students in their first year, who chose poor-performing institutions, have been approaching the universities to allow them to pursue their second year in another college.

A senior official from the department told DT Next that though the State strictly adopted the regulations of University Grants Commission (UGC) on minimum qualifications for appointing professors in universities and colleges, certain private institutions do not follow the rules. “So, it was decided to check the credentials of candidates, who were given appointment orders by the self-financing colleges across the State,” he added.

With regard to the steps that would be taken by the department in the future, he said a more transparent method would be introduced in the appointment of professors. “The management of self-financing colleges should thoroughly check the qualifications and experience of the appointees and should send it to the concerned authorities for further verification,” opined the official.

P Thirunavukkarasu, vice chairman, Association of University Teachers, said that there were a lot of irregularities in the appointment of professors in the State. “This can be stopped only through an online monitoring system, which has to be introduced by the government to check at all the levels of the appointment. At present, most professors are not appointed as permanent staff. They’re contract staff – hired on a temporary basis to teach year-on-year contracts. This system has to be stopped,” he stated.

Thirunavukkarasu also stated that if the norms, laid by both State government and UGC, were not followed in faculty appointments, performance of the college would take a hit. “That’s why students start approaching other colleges – better learning experience,” he rued.

Sources from the Anna University said many students, who were desperate to pursue latest courses, were unknowingly joining colleges that could not produce the results. “There were several requests from students across the State to the University to change the colleges in the second year since they could not get good education on par with other institutes,” he explained.

Quoting the latest semester results (November-December 2023) of the affiliated colleges, a senior administrative official from the varsity said that 4 engineering institutions had secured zero pass percentage and the pass percentage of about 10 colleges was less than 15.

With regard to the change of college, students should have passed all the exams prescribed by the college for the duration of the study in the present institution and should also produce documentary evidence. They must produce a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Anna University in Chennai.

“However, many self-financing colleges delay the issuance of TC to students who want to change institutions since it would be considered as a black mark. These students have to pay transfer processing charges from the range between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000,” he pointed out. “Students of an affiliated engineering college under the ambit of Anna University can approach the varsity’s Centre for Student Affairs if they have any grievances in their college. They can send their complaints by post, in person and by email.”