Vice-Chancellors conference in Ooty holds significance after SC verdict
Dhankhar to attend meet happening after top court curtailed Guv’s role as Chancellor
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar (PTI)
CHENNAI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will be participating in the annual conference of vice-chancellors of state, which will be organised by Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi at Udhagamandalam from April 25 for the fourth consecutive year.
A Raj Bhavan release on Tuesday confirmed that the Vice President has consented to be the chief guest and will inaugurate the two-day conference on April 25.
The move comes amid an ongoing tussle over the Governor’s role as Chancellor of state universities -- a position recently curtailed by a Supreme Court ruling.
The apex court, in a significant judgment, had affirmed that Chief Minister MK Stalin will serve as the Chancellor of state universities, replacing the Governor in that role.
After the top court’s verdict, CM Stalin chaired a meeting of vice-chancellors and registrars on April 16.
The spat between the state government and the higher education department in appointing vice-chancellors in the state-run universities has continued since the governor wanted to appoint a University Grants Commission (UGC) representative in the search panel. However, the state government was totally against the Governor's idea.
Due to the tug-of-war between Raj Bhavan and the state government, many state-run universities are functioning without vice chancellors and affecting the administrative work, including a delay in conducting convocations.
The Ooty conference aims to have detailed deliberations and interactive sessions on a gamut of issues covering Implementation of National Credit Framework, Academic collaborations among Universities, use of Artificial Intelligence to maximise learning outcomes, financial management in educational institutions, research excellence, promoting entrepreneurship, capacity building for learners, creating wealth through Intellectual Property (IP) and careers in rehabilitation of differently abled persons.
Eminent speakers from academia, government and industry will cover the above topics. There would also be a special address by Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser, on the topic -- 'Frontiers in Science and Technology'.
The conference will bring together vice-chancellors of the State, Central and Private Universities and Institutions from across the State and aims to foster collaboration, share best practices and explore innovative approaches to higher education in a rapidly evolving academic landscape.
