CHENNAI: In a major quality reform initiative, the University of Madras has undertaken a comprehensive performance evaluation of all its 78 academic departments spread across its Chepauk, Marina, Guindy and Taramani campuses.
The exercise comes at a time when the historic institution is grappling with declining postgraduate admissions, faculty shortages and concerns over its academic standing.
According to university officials, the review assesses each department on student admissions and enrolment, placements, externally funded research projects, publications in peer-reviewed journals, curriculum revision, patents, and other academic achievements.
The findings will be placed before the university’s Finance Committee and Syndicate meeting scheduled to be held later this month, and future budgetary allocations to departments are expected to be linked to their performance.
“The objective is to improve the quality of education and make departments accountable for academic outcomes. Assessment is the first step towards reviving underperforming departments,” a senior university official said.
Officials said while several science departments continue to perform well in research and enjoy national and international recognition, a number of departments have witnessed a steady decline in admissions. Some postgraduate programmes now attract only single-digit enrolment despite having multiple faculty members.
“Some departments have two professors but admit fewer than 10 students. At the same time, they seek funds for seminars and infrastructure. Such imbalances are unsustainable when the university itself is facing a severe financial crisis,” the official added.
The university also has plans to develop a digital assessment platform through which departments will upload semester-wise data on student learning outcomes, internal assessments, curriculum improvements and initiatives to enhance critical thinking and employability. The system is expected to enable continuous monitoring instead of periodic reviews.
The move assumes significance as the University of Madras has been striving to improve its national standing. In the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025, the university was ranked 38th among universities and 68th in the overall category, with its research and professional practice scores remaining significantly lower than leading public universities.