CHENNAI: In a move aimed at giving government arts and science colleges greater academic autonomy, the Tamil Nadu government has initiated the process of granting autonomous status to 10 government colleges this academic year, with the larger goal of converting 30 such institutions into autonomous colleges over the next five years, as envisaged in the TVK-led government’s vision document.
The Directorate of Collegiate Education (DCE) has issued instructions to the following 10 colleges to initiate the process of applying to the University Grants Commission (UGC) for autonomous status: Chikkanna Government Arts College, Tiruppur; LRG Government Arts College for Women,
Tiruppur; Thiruvalluvar Government Arts College, Rasipuram; M V Muthiah Government Arts College for Women, Dindigul; Rani Anna Government College for Women, Tirunelveli; Periyar Arts College, Cuddalore; Government Thirumagal Mills College, Gudiyatham; Thiru A Govindaswami Government Arts College, Tindivanam; Government Arts and Science College, Sathyamangalam; and Government Arts and Science College for Women, Bargur.
“A UGC approval is a long process, but we have initiated the work. Various parameters, including student strength, the performance of colleges, faculty position and other academic factors, were taken into account while selecting these colleges,” a DCE official said.
The push for autonomy assumes significance amid a shortage of vice-chancellors (V-Cs) in Tamil Nadu’s state universities, with 16 universities currently functioning without regular V-Cs. Since affiliated colleges depend on their parent universities for several academic and administrative processes, prolonged vacancies at the top have added to institutional delays.
The move could also help address some of the academic constraints faced by affiliated government colleges, particularly at a time when several state universities are functioning without regular V-Cs.
Several of the colleges selected for the first phase have substantial student populations and established academic infrastructure. For instance, Chikkanna Government Arts College has 14 academic departments, 15 undergraduate (UG) and 11 postgraduate (PG) programmes, while LRG Government Arts College for Women has 4,251 students, 163 faculty members, 17 UG and nine PG programmes.
The colleges will now have to complete the prescribed UGC process and meet the eligibility requirements before autonomous status is granted.