CHENNAI: The Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiyaan noted that the number of student enrollments has increased in the academic year 2025-2026 due to a slew of initiatives rolled out by the TN government and CM Stalin.
Schemes like Naan Mudhalvan, Pudhumai Penn, and Tamil Putlavan had altered collegiate education for students, especially those living in rural TN, he responded to the comments made by PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss.
Attacking the PMK leader, the minister said, "Anbumani is making false allegations to satisfy his masters in Delhi, with whom he is currently in alliance. If he has a genuine interest in the welfare of education and the welfare of students, he should ask for and receive the funds due from the Centre to the State education department."
The minister detailed that from 2021 to 2026 across the state, the government has started 38 government arts and science colleges, four agriculture colleges, one polytechnic and law college each and 41 Industrial Training Institute (ITIs), all amounting to 85 higher educational institutes.
Anbumani is making false allegations to satisfy his masters in Delhi. If he has a genuine interest in students' welfare, he should ask for the funds due from the Centre
-- Govi Chezhiyaan, Higher Education Minister
And, in arts and science colleges, the higher education department has started 252 new courses, resulting in as many as 13,346 new student admissions.
He further explained that the enrollment of students in government arts and science, engineering and polytechnic colleges has increased from 5,93,848 in 2016-2021 to 7,52,150 at present.
"In particular, the enrollment of students in arts and science colleges was at 83,432 in the academic year 2019-2020, which has increased to 1,03,227 in the academic year 2025-2026," he added.
In case of the vacant posts remaining unfilled after 2015 in government arts and science colleges, the DMK government has already commenced the recruitment of 4,000 assistant professors.
Additional steps have been taken by the higher education department to fill the 1,060 lecturer posts that were vacant in government polytechnic colleges through the Teachers' Recruitment Board (TRB). Meanwhile, 1,033 posts have been filled in the 2022-2023 academic year.