125 government colleges without principals; higher education in crisis: Anbumani

CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday urged the State government to immediately fill 125 vacant principal posts in Government Arts and Science Colleges, warning that the prolonged vacancies were affecting administration and the quality of higher education.

In a statement, Anbumani said 125 of the State's 181 Government Arts and Science Colleges were functioning without permanent principals, with nearly 69 per cent of the institutions being headed by acting principals. He said the absence of regular principals had led to administrative inefficiencies and hindered institutional development.

Alleging that no regular principal appointments had been made for more than two years, Anbumani said the number of vacancies had risen from 13 in early 2024 to more than 100 by July 2025 and had now reached 125.

He said acting principals did not enjoy the same administrative powers as regular principals and contended that the temporary arrangement also imposed an additional financial burden on the government.

Anbumani further claimed that more than 9,000 assistant professor posts remained vacant in government colleges and alleged that no recruitment had taken place over the past 12 years. Noting that government arts colleges had produced several eminent scholars and scientists, he urged the government to fill both principal and teaching vacancies without delay to improve the quality of higher education.