CHENNAI: The state government’s proposal to expand the vice-chancellor search committees for state universities from three to five members has evoked mixed reactions from teacher associations and political parties.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss opposed the proposal, contending that increasing the size of the search committee would only complicate the appointment process rather than address it.
In a statement on Wednesday, Anbumani said the real issue was not the composition of the search committee but the legal validity of the government’s legislation transferring the power to appoint vice-chancellors from the governor to the chief minister.
The Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers Association (TNGCTA) also expressed reservations over the proposal. Its general secretary, S Suresh, said the composition of a V-C search committee is clearly prescribed in each university’s statute and cannot be altered without amending the relevant laws. He maintained that no authority could unilaterally add members to the committee unless the university Acts were suitably amended.
In contrast, the Madras University Teachers Association (MUTA) welcomed the government’s initiative, describing it as a constructive step towards breaking the deadlock in V-C appointments. MUTA general secretary C Murugan said the inclusion of a UGC nominee was consistent with the framework upheld by the Supreme Court.
The association, however, urged the government to include a representative of the university’s academic council as the fifth member of the search committee instead of another syndicate member, arguing that the university’s academic body should have a role in selecting its V-C.