CHENNAI: Government veterinary students and members of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary Graduates Federation (TNVGF) on Friday staged coordinated protests across veterinary campuses in Tamil Nadu, opposing the proposed introduction of private veterinary colleges in the State and urging the government to safeguard the existing public veterinary education system.
Holding placards reading "No to Privatisation" and "Plan Before Expansion", students assembled in large numbers within college premises, including the historic Madras Veterinary College in Vepery here, demanding that the State government refrain from permitting private veterinary colleges.
The protesters argued that Tamil Nadu already has a well-established veterinary education framework under the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), which has consistently produced trained veterinarians serving farmers and the livestock sector across the country.
According to the federation, the State currently has seven veterinary colleges that together produce around 680 veterinary graduates every year, while more than 8,000 veterinarians are already registered in Tamil Nadu.
"Introducing private veterinary colleges at this stage could lead to an imbalance in veterinary manpower planning and increase unemployment among graduates, " said M Balaji, coordinator, TNVGF.
The TNVGF has also submitted a representation to Chief Minister M K Stalin seeking the State government's intervention on the issue. The federation cautioned that the entry of private institutions may lead to commercialisation of veterinary education and could affect academic standards that require extensive infrastructure, such as teaching hospitals, livestock farms and clinical training facilities.
The federation further contended that private veterinary colleges may indirectly strengthen the NEET-based admission framework, as admissions to veterinary courses across India are currently linked to NEET-UG rankings under national regulatory norms.
Instead of expanding colleges through private participation, the federation urged the State government to focus on strengthening veterinary healthcare infrastructure and upgrading rural veterinary sub-centres into fully equipped hospitals to improve livestock health services for farmers.
Students said the protest was intended to draw the government's attention to what they described as a crucial policy decision that could shape the future of veterinary education and professional opportunities in the State.