CHENNAI: The draft regulations released by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday regarding the appointment of vice-chancellors (V-Cs) and faculty in higher education institutions, including universities, could pose a serious concern for the Tamil Nadu government which is already at loggerheads with the governor-chancellor over the inclusion of a UGC nominee on V-C search panels.
The draft – UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2025 – proposes changes in the composition of committees formed to select V-Cs.
While the state government had so far taken the position that the UGC’s regulations are not binding until formally adopted by the state in the respective Acts governing the universities, the UGC, in the new regulation, has recommended stricter punitive measures including debarring of institution from offering degree programmes for violating the regulation.
As per the UGC draft, the V-C search panel will have three members — the governor-chancellor’s nominee, the UGC’s nominee, and the third member nominated by the apex body of the university like the senate or syndicate.
Currently, in Tamil Nadu state universities, the V-C search panels are formed as per the statutes of the respective universities. Most universities have a three-member panel of governor-chancellor’s nominee, a nominee of the senate and syndicate, and a nominee of the state government.
The earlier guidelines of the UGC mandated that a fourth member, a nominee of the UGC Chairperson, be included in all committees. However, this was strongly opposed by the State government as it would tilt the balance in the selection process towards Governor and UGC.
The new regulations, however, will further worsen the State government’s position since the proposed three-member panel will not have any state government nominee and it will be heavily tilted towards the Governor and the UGC.
“It seems the draft guidelines have been conceptualised to target the states which are opposing the governor’s interference in state universities as the state government will have no say in the VC selection process,” said a VC of a state university.
“It is not acceptable at all if the state government will have no involvement in the selection of VC in a state university,” said E Balagurusamy, former VC of Anna University. He added that both the UGC and Chancellor’s nominees will be biased towards the union government, and it will hinder the operation of state universities.
Several academicians TNIE spoke to shared similar concerns. “In the past, even the governor’s nominee would be actually picked by the state government. However, in the last decade (since the BJP came to power), the equation changed as governors started asserting their power in selecting the nominees of their choice,” said a senior faculty member of UoM.
On the punitive measures for violation of guidelines, the draft says, “If any institute is found to have violated the rules, it will be debarred from participating in UGC schemes, and offering degree, distance and online programmes.”