Where is the head?

CHENNAI: The gross enrolment ratio of Tamil Nadu in the State-owned higher educational institutions might stand above the national average, especially considering they have consistently performed well in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

There are 13 State universities under the control of the TN government, and 4 are facing many challenges, not in the least are financial crunch and the non-appointment of Vice-Chancellors.

Problems galore

Recently, due to the non-payment of taxes for several years, the Income Tax department froze all the bank accounts of University of Madras, which is called the mother of the institutions in the State. Though the Higher Education Department (HED) had chipped in to pay the salaries to agitating employees of the varsity, there are other financial issues that are yet to be solved permanently including non-payment of retirement benefits. At one stage, the varsity did not have funds to procure equipment for labs.

Likewise, Madurai Kamaraj University too has been facing a severe financial crisis for several years because of more than 5,000 audit objections. So, the HED could not release the funds.

Adding to the woes, vice-chancellors have not been appointed at the University of Madras, Bharathiar University, and Tamil Nadu Teacher Education University even after the post has been vacant for several months, which has affected their ability to take major decisions, including appointing professors.

Similarly, in Periyar University, the face-off between Vice-Chancellor R Jagannathan and the State government took centre-stage, when he refused to appoint a registrar proposed by the HED. In December last year, he was arrested for misappropriating public funds.

Academicians stated that if the issues are not solved soon, it would affect students.

Govt’s responsibility

Accusing the State Government for various reasons, mainly for audit objections and reduced-grants over a period of time, PB Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary of State Platform for Common School System-TN (SPCSSTN), said, “If irregularities were observed, it’s duty of the State government, who runs of the varsities, to identify the cause of irregularities and take appropriate measures to ensure that every action of the university is in accordance with the law. It has to enable the institution to be able to carry on the research and other academic activities as per the agreed guidelines and provisions.”

Adding that the State government had failed to take remedial measures for over a decade, and instead, it had reduced the spending. “The varsities employed temporary teaching staff with a monthly salary of Rs 30,000. Almost all the teaching and non-teaching staff recruited in the past ten years have been temporary employees,” he pointed out.

Concurring with him was P Thirunavukkarasu, state deputy secretary of the Association of University Teachers, who also alleged that in the last 10 years, various irregularities were reported in the government-owned universities across the State including the commercialisation of professors’ appointments. “Many varsities are not following the rules. Our association has highlighted them several times with the government, which should take steps in curbing them. However, no steps have been taken yet,” he rued.

Regarding the non-appointment of V-Cs, he added that major administrative decisions could not be taken immediately. “Recruitment of temporary staff, approval for appointing new professors, assistant professors and administrative staff, and getting funds from the Union government, and students’ convocation function – all of this will be affected if the Vice-Chancellor is not available in the university,” stated Thirunavukkarasu.

The lack of fund allocation to State universities is forcing them to find revenue elsewhere, which is fuelling the fee hike, observed All India Students’ Federation (AISSF) general secretary Dinesh Seerangaraj. “The National Education Policy 2020 has already stated that universities can generate their own funds. If the State government fails to intervene, the varsities will fall into the trap set by NEP 2020,” pointed out. “The State government must intervene immediately and adopt necessary measures to resolve the current crisis.”

Action taken

To probe into these issues, a high level committee has been constituted under the principal secretary of the Higher Education Department. This move comes against the backdrop of requests from universities that a common group could resolve the issues effectively.

Higher Education Minister RS Rajakannappan said that the committee members would visit every varsity to identify the problems, which would be reported regularly. “The reports would be submitted to the Chief Minister for further action,” he said. “All the issues of the universities will be solved after consulting with the CM. The government has already taken measures to identify the right candidates for the appointment of Vice-Chancellors,” he added.

A senior official from the HED said that the State government has already notified a three-member search panel to appoint a V-C in University of Madras. The varsity has not had a V-C since August last year. “Likewise, a search panel for other universities, which do not have Vice-Chancellors, will be appointed soon. The recruitment process will begin shortly,” he stated.

Regarding the varsities’ financial crunch, the official averred: “All audit objections would be cleared and resolved so that State grants would be disbursed accordingly.”