Tamil Nadu CM to chair meeting of VCs of state-funded universities on April 16

Chennai: After acquiring greater power in the running of state-funded universities following Supreme Court’s assent to 10 bills, Chief Minister M K Stalin has convened a meeting of vice-chancellors and registrars of universities here on Wednesday to brief them about the new structure and ensure that they adhere to instructions from the state government.

While the agenda is about improving higher education in Tamil Nadu, the government is likely to speak in plain terms that the VCs and Registrars should directly report to the Higher Education Department of the DMK dispensation, not to the Raj Bhavan. Though Governor R N Ravi will continue to serve as Chancellor, under the new laws, for which the Supreme Court invoked its special powers to grant assent, he will no longer have any powers to oversee the functioning of universities.

Sources who are aware of the agenda of Wednesday’s meeting told DH that the Chief Minister will make it clear to the VCs that they have to adhere to instructions from the government and follow its direction.

“The message will be crystal clear. From now, universities can’t cite dual control to not follow instructions from the government. Earlier, the Governor’s office had issued direct instructions to them on a host of issues which led to some varsities ignoring the government. We will ensure that there is no interference from Raj Bhavan,” a source said.

The meeting will also fast-track the process of appointing VCs for half-a-dozen universities with them remaining headless for the past one year.

The source said the government has already constituted search committees with three members – one representative nominated each by the Governor, Government, and the institution – but the Raj Bhavan put spokes saying one more nominee from the UGC should be included, effectively halting the process.

“We will now ask the search committees to start their work,” the source added.

With the acts being notified, the Tamil Nadu government will now have absolute control over the functioning of universities and appointment and removal of VCs even as the Governor remains as the Chancellor, stripped of almost every power that was vested with him so far.

The legislations relate to Madurai Kamaraj University, Bharathiar University (Coimbatore), Bharathidasan University (Tiruchirapalli), Annamalai University (Chidambaram), Alagappa University (Karaikudi), Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (Tirunelveli), and Periyar University (Salem), among others.