Undeterred by the Apex Court approving all ten pending bills related to the appointment of Vice-Chancellors in universities in Tamil Nadu, Governor RN Ravi has convened a VCs’ conference in Ootacamund (Ooty), in the Nilgiris district, on April 25, 26 and 27, for the 4th consecutive year, asserting his position as Chancellor of Tamil Nadu universities. The DMK and its allies, mainly the Congress, the Left and the VCK, have condemned his decision and are planning to approach the courts to restrain him from holding the meet.
The scheduled conference is facing sharp political reactions from the DMK. Governor Ravi called on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in Delhi a couple of days ago and has invited him as the special guest for the event. The Vice President has confirmed his participation.
The conference will bring together Vice-Chancellors of state, central and private universities/institutions from across the state and aims to foster collaboration, share best practices, and explore innovative approaches to higher education in a rapidly evolving academic landscape.
The government’s move is akin to pouring oil on a raging fire, especially when the DMK has been thanking the Supreme Court for reaffirming the rights of the state, its legislature, and reducing the Governor to a ‘postman’. They have been in a ‘cloud nine’ mood, believing the Governor’s powers had been clipped and that he was shown his place.
In a significant ruling that will have far-reaching impacts, the Apex Court affirmed that Chief Minister MK Stalin will serve as the Chancellor of state universities, replacing the Governor in that role. Without wasting any time, CM Stalin moved swiftly to assert control, holding a meeting with Vice-Chancellors and registrars on April 15 to discuss higher education reforms — a role usually played by the Governor. During the meeting, Stalin stressed the need to shield students from ‘irrational ideas and stories’ — a veiled critique of the Governor’s alleged efforts to influence university curricula.
However, Raj Bhavan, in a statement, asserted that the Governor retains significant powers as Chancellor. It clarified that the court’s verdict only transferred the authority to appoint Vice-Chancellors to the Tamil Nadu government, while leaving other chancellorial duties intact — including presiding over convocations, attending syndicate meetings, and convening Vice-Chancellors for academic discussions. Raj Bhavan stated that for the last three years, the Governor has organised VC conferences in Ooty, a tradition it claims remains within his purview. Officials confirmed that the conference would proceed as planned.
According to Raj Bhavan, the conference aims to include detailed deliberations and interactive sessions on a gamut of issues, covering implementation of the National Credit Framework, academic collaborations among universities, the use of Artificial Intelligence to maximise learning outcomes, financial management in educational institutions, research excellence, promoting entrepreneurship, capacity building for learners, creating wealth through Intellectual Property (IP), and careers in the rehabilitation of differently-abled persons.
Educationists fear that the freedom and integrity of Tamil Nadu’s universities are at stake, as political interference in appointments will further erode the already poor quality of higher education and research. There have been instances in the past — from 2006 to 2017 — where political favouritism and corruption marred VC appointments. Loyalists and relatives of politicians were favoured, or members of dominant castes were appointed for vote-bank politics. A person convicted in a gold smuggling case and lodged in Tihar Jail for two years was once appointed as VC.
Former CM O. Panneerselvam termed the meeting of Vice-Chancellors called by Stalin a disappointing one, as it did not discuss the main agenda — improving higher education — which, he said, spoiled the focus of the event. “Already universities are in the red and no efforts to turn them into black were discussed.”
