As search for 3 Vice-Chancellors drags on, government says unhappy with panels

  • | Saturday | 20th May, 2017

Sources said Rao is not satisfied with the constitution of the search panels which have to recommend names for the posts. Anna University conducted its convocation on Friday without a vice-chancellor.A member of MKU VC search panel quit last year citing irregularities in the selection process. CHENNAI: Three major universities in the state -University of Madras, Anna University and Madurai Kamarajar University (MKU) -are without vice-chancellors for more than a year as governor-chancellor C Vidyasagar Rao is yet to take a final call on the names. "The governor is of the opinion that all search panels should be headed by a retired high court judge," said a source in the government.None of current search panels meet that criteria; in fact they have been mired in controversies. The higher education department has assured the governor that these guidelines would be followed when future search panels are constituted, and requested him to finalise the names which have been submitted by the current panels.

CHENNAI: Three major universities in the state -University of Madras, Anna University and Madurai Kamarajar University (MKU) -are without vice-chancellors for more than a year as governor-chancellor C Vidyasagar Rao is yet to take a final call on the names. Sources said Rao is not satisfied with the constitution of the search panels which have to recommend names for the posts."The governor is of the opinion that all search panels should be headed by a retired high court judge," said a source in the government.None of current search panels meet that criteria; in fact they have been mired in controversies. The governor's offi ce could not be reached for comment despite several attempts. Anna University conducted its convocation on Friday without a vice-chancellor.A member of MKU VC search panel quit last year citing irregularities in the selection process. The panel which will recommend names for University of Madras VC consists of a retired state government employee, a former professor of the university and a full time research scholar of the university.The Anna University VC search panel is headed by a sitting vice-chancellor of a state university and a member is the chairman of an engineering college. The governor has indicated to the state government that members should not only be "persons of eminence in spheres of higher education," but also free of any external influence. The higher education department has assured the governor that these guidelines would be followed when future search panels are constituted, and requested him to finalise the names which have been submitted by the current panels. The governor is yet to react to this request.This has also led to a logjam in the appointment of VC search panels for Periyar University and Bharatidasan University , with just a month to go for the expiry of those VCs' terms. "Students and teaching staff are struggling without a regular VC. Files are piling up and the administration is in a mess," said N Shettu , general secretary of Association of University Teachers (AUT).

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