CHENNAI: After a prolonged delay caused by the state government and the search committees appointed by it, now it is the turn of the Tamil Nadu governor to sit on the files pertaining to appointment of vice chancellors to three premier universities. University of Madras, Anna University and Madurai Kamaraj University .Files relating to Madras and Anna varsities have been pending in Raj Bhavan for close to a month and that of Kamaraj varsity for a week. Incidentally , nine out of 13 varsities in the state do not have full time registrars and eight of them do not have controllers of examinations. "The ball is in the governor's court," a government official said.The posts of VCs have been lying vacant in the three varsities for more than a year.While the appointments of varsity heads were mired in controversies relating to payment of bribes in the past few years, the Raj Bhavan's inaction is not helping the varsities either. Incidentally , governor C Vidyasagar Rao, who is also chancellor of all state varsities, appointed SFelix as vice-chancellor of Tamil Nadu Fisheries University 10 days ago.In the absence of VCs, the institutions are run by convener committees led by the higher education secretary . It is a fivemember panel in the Universi ty of Madras since April 21.Because of the absence of a VC, the University of Madras put off annual convocations last year, affecting higher studies of students. There was an attempt in the university to hold convocation with degrees signed by the convener committee chairman , but it was dropped following objections.The institution, insiders say , faces its worst financial crisis and is plagued by irregularities as pointed out by the government's own local audit for the year 2015-16.Much of the decision-making in the varsities involves research projects and degrees for which a board of research studies led by a VC is the backbone."Now, all research related decisions are either pending or taken on ad hoc basis," Prof G Ravindran, general secretary of Madras University Teachers Association, said. The search panel of the University of Madras - comprising an ex-police officer, a full-time PhD scholar and a professor of a private University - came in for criticism as there is no eminent academician in it."There have been rumours about wheeling dealing, but I understand the governor has taken a fairly strong initiative to see that no underhand dealings take place. The main issue is to have the VCs fulfilling the UGC norms on qualification," Anna University former vice chancellor M Anandakrishnan said. Anna University Teachers' Association shot off a letter to the governor not to give a date for convocation, after the syndicate in March authorised the convener committee chairman to hold the event.Madurai Kamaraj University does not have a full time registrar, controller of examinations and dean to run the administration. "Decisions are not taken properly . Elections to the senate and syndicate have not taken place for years," Save MKU Coalition co-convener P Vijayakumar said.

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