These are worrying times for higher education in Tamil Nadu. To begin with, there is no vice chancellor in the 12 universities of the state. Apart from the prestigious Madras University, the list of “leaderless institutions” includes Periyar University, Anna University, Bharathiar University, Madurai Kamaraj University, Bharathidasan University, Tamil Nadu Teacher Education University, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Tamil University and Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University.
Many of them have been working without a VC for at least two years, depriving them not only of administrative leadership but also of representation in the higher echelons of the education ministry. Over the past two to three years, the regular process of selecting a VC from among three potential candidates recommended by a search committee by the Governor as Chancellor has ended in a stalemate.
Governor RN Ravi has stressed that the 2018 regulation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) should be followed in the appointment of the V-C, especially the clause that a member of the search committee should be a UGC nominee. However, the state government has said that since it has not adopted that particular UGC clause, it does not enforce it. Tamil Nadu would prefer the process to be guided by state law rather than central rules. The resulting standoff has affected the normal functioning of 12 institutions.
decision pending
At Bharathidasan University, 10 months have passed since the previous VC M. Selvam stepped down, and the delay in appointing a new VC has raised concerns in academic circles. Mr Selvam, who was VC for four years, left office on February 5 after a one-year extension. Later, a three-member Vice-Chancellor Convenor Committee was formed to perform the duties of the VC until his appointment to the post.
According to university sources, the daily work of the university has slowed down due to the absence of the VC. Senior officials said many decisions are kept pending and there is a delay in reaching consensus on some issues because the committee members are at different places.
The university, which has 38 departments and around 153 affiliated colleges, is stuck in a deadlock over the renewal of its National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) certificate and its annual convocation has been delayed. “When a regular VC is on campus, university files and matters will move without delay instead of being sent to higher authorities for approval. Although video-conference meetings are held, important matters are getting delayed. The physical presence of the VC is essential for the betterment of administration,” said David Livingstone, state president of the Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers Association.
reputation affected
The absence of a VC in Madurai Kamaraj University for more than a year has badly affected the reputation of the decades-old institution, a senior professor said. “Once MKU produced some world-class research papers and studies, but now poor governance and the state’s tug-of-war with the governor (chancellor) has pushed everything else back,” he said.
The post of V-C in Periyar University in Salem is vacant since May. The posts of Registrar, Controller of Examinations (CoE) and Director of Distance Education are vacant since 2018. In the last seven years, the university administration invited applications for these posts four times.
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore has welcomed the filling of key posts of Registrar and COE in recent months after years. Yet, in the absence of a full-time VC, important files continue to be sent to the Higher Education Secretary, who is the convener of the Vice-Chancellor Search Committee, for approval.
T. Veeramani, former principal of Government College for Women, Coimbatore, who previously served as state president of the Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers Association, said, “Without the appointment of a full-time VC, there can be no quick resolution of the issues related to teaching, research and extension activities in Bharathiar University.”
There are reportedly at least 9,000 vacancies in government colleges across Tamil Nadu. “About 96 colleges do not have principals. Without new appointments, staff members who have served for 10 to 20 years are unable to progress to senior positions. They are not eligible for promotion once they reach retirement age,” Mr Livingstone said.
Government arts and science colleges were inaugurated in 15 districts in May. However, sources said most of them are operating without proper infrastructure and staff. On October 15, the announcement was made for the recruitment of 2,708 assistant professors through Teacher Recruitment Board (TRB). However, the online application process was stuck with technical glitches. The Tamil Nadu All Government Colleges UGC Qualified Guest Lecturers Association recently said that more than 400 candidates were unable to register for the vacancies although they had appeared for the TRB examination to be held in 2024. The association also claimed that the colleges where they worked earlier were exacerbating the problem by delaying the issuance of service/experience certificates by 10–20 days, and demanding fees of ₹2,000–₹10,000 from some applicants.
Earlier this year, the body had appealed to the higher education department to transfer guest lecturers, who have been replaced by permanent staff members, to other institutions to fill the vacancies instead of leaving them in limbo. The affected guest lecturers had served between five and eight years and earned a monthly salary of only ₹25,000. A total of 7,360 guest lecturers are working in 164 government arts and science colleges across Tamil Nadu. Unlike full-time appointments, guest lecturers earn only 11 months’ salary, without service benefits.
‘Improve the courses’
Requesting anonymity, a former VC said universities which are actually short of manpower have the advantage of exercising autonomy and reviving courses to increase student enrollment by offering interdisciplinary programmes. “There is no point for teachers to continue to pursue specialized courses in single-faculty departments and a handful of students. The ideal approach would be to club such departments and offer interdisciplinary programs tailored to market needs.”
Be it Bharathiar University or government colleges, dependence on guest faculty members is increasing. But in some long-standing government arts and science colleges, the number of guest lecturers far exceeds the number of regular faculty members. A senior faculty member of a government college in Coimbatore district said, “The government, while approving new programmes, should issue orders for the appointment of regular faculty members. College heads are struggling to optimize the existing manpower to ensure scheduled teaching-learning days in an academic year.”
Teachers of government-aided colleges across Tamil Nadu are demanding immediate release of revised salaries under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS), pending for years. A government order was issued in 2021 stating that monetary benefits under CAS would be given to teachers of aided colleges from 2018, although the amendment recommended by the Seventh Pay Commission came into effect in 2016.
Association of University Teachers (AUT) President J. Gandhiraj said, as the situation stands, salary fixation has been done for barely 300 teachers in Thanjavur and a few more teachers in Coimbatore and Tiruchi in March 2024. “In the last four years, we have approached at least six higher education secretaries and two ministers. All we have got is ‘assurances’,” he said. He informed that there are at least 4,000 teachers in 163 government-aided colleges across the state who are eligible for CAS.
Professor Gandhiraj said, off the record, government officials said that the state government was burdened with huge debt. “In the last six months, they have even stopped issuing CAS orders. We are helpless.”
AUT and Madurai Kamaraj, Manonmaniam Sundaranar, Mother Teresa and Alagappa Universities Teachers Association (MUTA) have held at least 40 protests, including a day-long fast at the Directorate of Collegiate Education.
appointments of ad hoc staff
For the last 10 years, there has been no direct recruitment in government and aided colleges of Tamil Nadu. “The state is making do with only redeployment and appointments of ad-hoc staff. A PhD holder who has passed all the examinations and does regular teaching work will get only ₹25,000. There is another category of teachers who work for ₹10,000 or ₹8,000. Bureaucratic arrogance is hampering the careers of many teachers,” said general secretary of the State Platform for Common School System-Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN), P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu said.
Added to this is the administrative ledger arising from the introduction of initiatives such as Naan Mudalvan, pudhumai penAnd tamil pudhalvan“While these programs are an excellent opportunity for young people, especially rural students, the government should also have planned a separate unit to coordinate the data collection required for these schemes, Till now, whether it is student orientation or data collection for uploading on the system, it is all being done by the teachers, This affects their regular classroom work, and many teachers are doing the work of high-ranking clerks,” Mr Livingstone said,
weaken the system
Interestingly, Tamil Nadu has topped the 2024 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings, with 18 institutions in the top 100 overall ranking. According to the policy note for 2025-26 released by the Department of Higher Education, “The state has a rich history of educational institutions and continues to progress in the field of higher education. With ever-expanding infrastructure, rigorous academic programs and a commitment to improving quality standards, Tamil Nadu has established itself as the leading state in the country for higher education with an astonishing Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER).”
This has created a gap between the ground reality and idealistic standards promoted by policy makers at the state and central levels. Many educationists also see the move to change the existing system with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Mr. Babu said, “Tamil Nadu is known for social justice, where all sections of the society can access higher education. It is sad to see its educational infrastructure being systematically dismantled.” “When the Center implements NEP 2020 without the consent of the states, it wants to ensure that the present system of universities collapses.”
Academics believe that the Higher Education Commission of India Bill, 2025, (Developed India Education Foundation Bill, 2025) can increase the role of the central government in this sector. “This is not an ordinary bill in Parliament. It will sabotage the entire system and allow foreign players to enter the sector, thereby affecting the weaker section of students. The main goal of NEP 2020 is to promote privatization and commercialization of education,” Mr Babu said.
In short, Tamil Nadu’s educational infrastructure is being weakened, and this is an issue that will have a deep impact on the coming generation of students.
,Saptarshi Bhattacharya in Chennai, R. in Coimbatore. Krishnamurthy, with inputs from C. Palanivel Rajan in Madurai and M. Sabari in Salem,
