Annamalai University doors yet to open for over 2,000 redeployed staff

Chennai

A senior official from the Higher Education Department told DT Next that Annamalai University, located in Cuddalore district, was taken over by the Tamil Nadu government in 2013 after it was bogged down by serious financial issues and administrative mismanagement.

“Before 2013, several hundred non-teaching staff were appointed without following any rules and after taking over the administration activities by the government, it was found that there were more than 2,500 surplus administrative employees,” he said adding “similarly, about 1,100 surplus teachers were also appointed in violation of the rules”.

The official pointed out that a total of 2,635 surplus non-teaching staff — in the categories of the assistant, junior assistant, record clerk, driver, assistant programmer, electrician, office assistant, watchman and gardener — were redeployed to various government departments in 2017 for three years, subjected to conditions.

However, the surplus teachers and professors were permanently appointed in other universities and will not go back to Annamalai University.

“With the contract period of the redeployed staff ending next month, the management of the university was asked to take back its employees,” said the official adding, “a notice was also issued to the institution in this regard”.

Stating that the university, however, replied that it was not in a position to take back the surplus staff since its financial woes are yet to end, the official said: “the university also asked the government to extend the period of agreement of such non-teaching staff for a further period of three years”.

He, however, said the government had given an only one-year extension and has asked the university to improve the financial situation and take back its employees by next year. Annamalai University is the only institution in the State to be approved as National Employability Enhancement Mission (NEEM) facilitation centre.