Not scrapping interim VC plan: Higher Education Department

CHENNAI: The TVK government’s plan to appoint senior professors as interim Vice-Chancellors (VCs) for State universities remains unchanged, the Higher Education Department has clarified, amid reports that the proposal had been dropped. The clarification comes as the prolonged vacancy of regular VCs in most State universities has raised concerns over administration and the transparency of appointments.

Tamil Nadu has 14 State universities, of which only Mother Teresa Women’s University currently has a regular Vice-Chancellor. The remaining 13 universities are functioning without regular VCs, creating administrative difficulties.

The delay in regular appointments stems from a pending court case over a Bill introduced by the previous DMK government that would make the Chief Minister the Chancellor of State universities. With the legal uncertainty persisting, the newly formed TVK government decided to appoint senior professors as interim VCs until it could make regular appointments.

As part of the move, senior professors have already been appointed as interim VCs at Alagappa University and Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. The government is considering appointments for 11 other universities and has obtained lists of eligible senior professors from the institutions.

However, reports that the government shelved the proposal raised questions about the status of the remaining appointments. Department officials have now maintained that the plan remains unchanged, signalling that the government intends to proceed with the interim arrangement despite the uncertainty surrounding regular VC appointments.

The proposed appointments have also drawn scrutiny of the selection process. Professors whose names figure on the lists have urged the government to ensure transparency, pointing out that VC appointments under previous regimes had faced allegations of irregularities. They have stressed the need to avoid similar controversies in the present exercise.

Higher Education Department officials have maintained that the government intends to select senior professors with clean records, without corruption allegations or departmental disciplinary proceedings. The credibility of the selection process will therefore be crucial as the government seeks to fill leadership gaps across universities while regular appointments remain stalled.