MADURAI: The fancy 5-year integrated M Tech programme in Film and Electronic Media Studies introduced in 2012 by the former vice-chancellor Kalyani Mathivanan during her controversial tenure at the then unveiled Centre for Film and Electronic Media Studies in the Madurai Kamaraj University has failed to gather steam even after five years.
It has many a reason, the primary among them being that it has no approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC) or the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). When its status is such, the varsity administration has created 12 new postings and called for applications to handle a poor strength of 59 students.
At present, the centre which offers only the M Tech programme is armed with two teaching staff. When the students’ strength in the five batches ranges only from four to 18, the recent notification for appointing 12 staff on a temporary basis has raised eyebrows.
“The circular dated Oct 25, 2016 has stated the 12 postings thrown open for recruitment. There is a need for faculty to guide students on editing, creative image making and sound recording. But the move to recruit staff for the remaining nine newly-created posts is unwarranted at this juncture when the students’ strength is weak,” an MKU official told Express. However, a senior official claimed that the postings are necessary.