MADURAI: The Joint Action Council of College Teachers (JAC), Tamil Nadu, has today condemned the move of Tamil Nadu Governor-Chancellor Mr.R.N.Ravi for the unprecedented manner in which he had constituted the Search Committees for selection of Vice-Chancellors of three universities in Tamil Nadu yesterday.
In an important press release to the media on 7th September 2023, the JAC Convenor Dr.M.Nagarajan has said on behalf of the various higher education associations that “the Governor’s decision and Raj Bhavan website press note about the search cum selection committee for Vice-Chancellors of three universities is an onslaught on the autonomy of the State. It is a blatant violation of TN Act and is tantamount to appropriating the powers of Tamil Nadu State Assembly. In violation of the TN Act, the Tamil Nadu Governor-Chancellor has unilaterally included the UGC nominee over and above the members prescribed by the Act. Of late, higher education has become a playground for political ideology.”
The JAC press release on September 7th 2023 from convenor M.Nagarajan had pointed out that the State universities in Tamil Nadu were established by a separate Act passed by Tamil Nadu Assembly and every university has a defined procedure for constituting a search committee for the selection of Vice-Chancellor.
“The Madras University and Madurai Kamaraj University Acts have similarities in search committee of three members comprising Chancellor nominee, Syndicate nominee and Senate nominee. Like that, the other State universities in Tamil Nadu have a procedure for VC search panel. But, the Chancellor had included UGC nominee in the committee. The JAC strongly condemns the Chancellor’s decision and demand immediate withdrawal to protect higher education and autonomy of the State government in Tamil Nadu,” the JAC convenor Dr.M.Nagarajan has said in the press statement on behalf of MUTA- AUT and TNGCTA, fighting for the cause of higher education.
