CHENNAI : Anna University will not be controlled by the Central government even if it is awarded the Institute of Eminence (IoE) status. It will continue to be a State-run university, Vice-Chancellor MK Surappa said on Saturday.He was responding to a query about a recent statement made by DMK leader MK Stalin on the bifurcation of the varsity to Anna University and Anna Institute of Eminence.
The DMK leader had alleged that the bifurcation was designed to hand over the university to the Centre and remove the name of former Chief Minister CN Annadurai, in memory of whom it was named.Stalin had alleged that the Centre planned to take control of one of the State’s most important university, with maximum number of affiliated colleges, in the name of granting it the Institution of Eminence status.
“When the DMK proposed to bifurcate the university for the benefit of students, the AIADMK vehemently opposed the move. Now, it has formed a committee of five ministers to bifurcate the university and there seems to be a motive behind the decision,” Stalin had said.
Surappa, however, denied the allegation saying awarding the IoE status to the university will, in fact, grant the institution more autonomy. “The IoE scheme will increase funding for research and infrastructure and provide students and teachers a lot of exposure to international universities,” he said.
Surappa said this will also significantly improve the quality of education. “From salary to research funds, it will be the university that decides how the fund will flow. The Centre will not interfere in the functioning, even when we get the IoE status,” he asserted.
Anna varsity will come under State Act: MHRD
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had clarified the same in a letter to Mangat Ram Sharma, Principal Secretary to the Higher Education Department, saying that Anna University would continue to function under the State Act.
“In this regard, it is once again clarified that since Anna University is a Public University set up under the State Act, it would continue to function under the Act even after the declaration of the IoE status as per para 5.3 under UGC (Declaration of Government Educational Institutions as Institute of Eminence) Guidelines 2017. All provisions of the State Act, including the Reservation Policy, under which the university was created, will continue to be applicable to it even after getting the status,” the letter said.