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The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Frequent transfers of higher education secretaries in Tamil Nadu a cause of concern
The Higher Education Department Secretary, C. Samayamoorthy, was transferred on Monday (June 23, 2025). He has been replaced by P. Shankar, who becomes the seventh secretary to hold the post in the last two years. In July 2023, D. Karthikeyan was transferred from the department and replaced by A. Karthik. Subsequently, the School Education Secretary held additional charge for a few days. Pradeep Yadav followed, and then K. Gopal was appointed, succeeded by Mr. Samayamoorthy. Now, within months, Mr. Samayamoorthy has been replaced by Mr. Shankar. The frequent change of leadership has left teachers' associations discontented. S. Suresh, president of the Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers Association, said a secretary should serve for at least a year to effectively address issues. K. Raja, general secretary of the Association of University Teachers, noted that the government has made no progress in streamlining fees charged by aided colleges, despite forming a committee for the purpose four years ago. 'None of the secretaries have made any effort,' he said. 'A secretary should stay at least a year to understand and address the issues.' He pointed out the Higher Education Secretary also serves as the convenor committee chairman for several universities in the absence of appointed Vice-Chancellors. 'In the past five years, none of the Higher Education Secretaries have functioned effectively. Many have held the position, but few have served the department meaningfully.' He added that the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) benefits have not been disbursed since 2021. 'The problem is not a lack of awareness, but lack of execution,' he said. The fee fixation committee, chaired by retired judge K.N. Basha and formed in 2021, has yet to see its recommendations implemented. The government is also yet to release course fee details for the 2025–26 academic year. 'We have submitted several amendments to the Tamil Nadu Private Colleges Regulation Act, but they have not been taken up,' Mr. Raja added. C. Murugan, president of the Madras University Teachers Association, said successive secretaries have failed to secure grants for the university. Retirement benefits for university employees have been pending since 2017. 'Both teaching and non-teaching staff are under pressure,' he said. He also raised concerns about delays in the university's free education scheme. 'Around 900 students have applied. We were asked to conduct online interviews, but the meeting scheduled for Monday was postponed. Students are expected to join by the end of June. It's disheartening to see their hopes dashed,' he said. 'I am a member of the committee, and seeing their dejected faces is painful.'
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Frequent transfers of higher education secretaries i Tamil Nadu cause concern
The Higher Education Department Secretary, C. Samayamoorthy, was transferred on Monday. (June 23, 2025). He has been replaced by P. Shankar, who becomes the seventh secretary to hold the post in the last two years. In July 2023, D. Karthikeyan was transferred from the department and replaced by A. Karthik. Subsequently, the School Education Secretary held additional charge for a few days. Pradeep Yadav followed, and then K. Gopal was appointed, succeeded by Mr. Samayamoorthy. Now, within months, Mr. Samayamoorthy has been replaced by Mr. Shankar. The frequent change of leadership has left teachers' associations discontented. S. Suresh, president of the Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers Association, said a secretary should serve for at least a year to effectively address issues. K. Raja, general secretary of the Association of University Teachers, noted that the government has made no progress in streamlining fees charged by aided colleges, despite forming a committee for the purpose four years ago. 'None of the secretaries have made any effort,' he said. 'A secretary should stay at least a year to understand and address the issues.' He pointed out the Higher Education Secretary also serves as the convenor committee chairman for several universities in the absence of appointed Vice-Chancellors. 'In the past five years, none of the Higher Education Secretaries have functioned effectively. Many have held the position, but few have served the department meaningfully.' He added that the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) benefits have not been disbursed since 2021. 'The problem is not a lack of awareness, but lack of execution,' he said. The fee fixation committee, chaired by retired judge K.N. Basha and formed in 2021, has yet to see its recommendations implemented. The government is also yet to release course fee details for the 2025–26 academic year. 'We have submitted several amendments to the Tamil Nadu Private Colleges Regulation Act, but they have not been taken up,' Mr. Raja added. C. Murugan, president of the Madras University Teachers Association, said successive secretaries have failed to secure grants for the university. Retirement benefits for university employees have been pending since 2017. 'Both teaching and non-teaching staff are under pressure,' he said. He also raised concerns about delays in the university's free education scheme. 'Around 900 students have applied. We were asked to conduct online interviews, but the meeting scheduled for Monday was postponed. Students are expected to join by the end of June. It's disheartening to see their hopes dashed,' he said. 'I am a member of the committee, and seeing their dejected faces is painful.'
The Hindu
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Union slams T.N. govt. decision to move Supreme Court on career advancement scheme for guest lecturers
The Association of University Teachers (AUT) has expressed concern over the actions by the Directorate of Collegiate Education on the implementation of the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) for faculty of aided colleges. In an official release, AUT general secretary K. Raja said: 'On one hand, the Commissioner of Collegiate Education issued a letter on June 9, instructing all Regional Joint Directors to urgently submit updated CAS-related data of eligible teachers by June 10. This communication clearly signalled the Government's affirmative intention to proceed with the long-overdue CAS promotions with monetary benefits, offering hope and justice to thousands of eligible teachers in aided colleges. 'Surprisingly, in a completely contradictory move, a communication dated June 16 addressed to A. Muraliraj, assistant professor of Mathematics, Urumu Dhanalakshmi College, Tiruchi, reveals that the government has chosen to challenge a favourable High Court judgment in the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) with a motive to deny CAS monetary benefits due to the teachers. This action directly undermines the rightful claims of teachers, seeking career progression and represents a serious breach of trust.' The association demanded immediate withdrawal of the SLP and urged the authorities to honour the High Court verdict. 'The Career Advancement Scheme is a statutory right, not a privilege. Any attempt to delay or deny this right adversely affects the morale, dignity, and academic integrity of the teaching community,' the release said.
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
AUT opposes re-employment of preferred teachers in Periyar University
The Association of University Teachers (AUT) Tamil Nadu demanded not to give re-employment to preferred teachers in Periyar University and immediately stop the approval given to an agenda by the past administration of the university. In the 116th meeting of the Syndicate on November 22, 2024, Periyar University granted re-employment for nine months till March 31, 2026, to V.R. Palanivelu, Professor of the Department of Management, who is superannuating on June 14, 2025. The faculty members alleged that this re-employment would incur an additional financial loss to the tune of ₹26.67 lakh to the university in the academic year 2025-26. Re-employment should be given only to the teachers, who are retiring in the middle of an academic year. But the past university administration allegedly gave re-employment to preferred teachers and denied re-employment for a few. AUT general secretary, K. Raja, said that granting re-employment to a few preferred teachers was a violation of the rules. The Registrar in-charge, vide his circular dated April 23, 2025, declared that the university was on vacation from May 3 to June 29 and reopens on June 30, 2025. As per Chapter VIII, Section 12(2) of the University Statutes, full-time teachers of the university shall be entitled to a summer vacation of two months from May 1 to June 30 (both days inclusive) and all gazetted holidays. The university, in its 102nd syndicate meeting held on January 11, 2019, adopted in writing that the academic year of Periyar University is to be from July 1 to April 30, with May and June being the vacation in consonance with the general rule followed by the State universities, Mr. Raja added. Stating that few teachers were denied re-employment at Periyar University, Mr. Raja said N. Rajendhiran, former HoD of Management Studies, was relieved from service, denying re-employment as he attained superannuation in June 2018. This denial was done based upon an earlier denial of re-employment to S. Murugesh, former HoD of Botany, as he attained superannuation in June 2017. As per the resolution of the Syndicate, re-employment was to be granted only to those teachers retiring on or after July 1 of each academic year. Contrasting this, the university granted re-employment (July 1, 2022, to May 2023) to P. Kumaradhas, HoD, Physics, who attained superannuation in June 2022. Not only Mr. Kumaradhas, but also professors S. Anbazhagan and C. Selvaraj were granted re-employment in July 2023 and at the same time, A. Muthusamy, a Mathematics Department professor, was denied re-employment and was relieved from service on June 30, 2024. Now the university granted re-employment for Mr. Palanivelu, who is retiring on June 14, 2025, Mr. Raja added. Stating that teachers who raised their voices against these illegalities were crushed by the university, Mr. Raja said that as assistant professor K. Premkumar, in his capacity as the then general secretary of the Periyar University Teachers' Association, drew the attention of the ex-officio members of the Syndicate to this gross violation for providing re-employment to Mr. Kumaradhas, he was vindictively suspended and subsequently terminated from service. The AUT demands to immediately revoke and annul the vindictive termination of Mr. Premkumar and reinstate him and immediately stop the Syndicate approval granted to the re-employment of Mr. Palanivelu. The Higher Education department should conduct an on-the-spot inquiry into the illegal re-employment granted to professors Kumaradhas, Anbazhagan, and Selvaraj and the denial of the same to professors Rajendhiran and Muthusamy and initiate steps to recover the financial loss of ₹86.42 lakh by granting re-employment to these three professors. Likewise, punitive action should be taken on the perpetrators of these conscious violations, Mr. Raja added.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
AUT wants unified admission panel for self-financing and aided streams in colleges in T.N.
The Association of University Teachers has appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to ensure a single admission committee for self-financing and aided streams in aided colleges across the State. The members want the government to make sure that aided stream students in colleges are levied only the government-prescribed fees during admission. The association appealed to the government to constitute an admission committee for the year 2025-26 by co-opting Scheduled Caste (SC) members in it. The council has resolved to implement the Prohibition of Capitation Fee (Educational Institutions) Act 1992 to prevent managements of aided colleges from fleecing students from lower socioeconomic background. The members wanted the government to appoint a bureaucrat as the registrar of Periyar University, Salem, to streamline the administrative irregularities found in the varsity in the last four years. The council has also proposed to appeal to the government to constitute an inquiry into the nomination of the head of Tamil department as the in-charge Vice-Chancellor by the then V-C R. Jaganathan, and the omissions and commissions by the in-charge V-C. An impartial inquiry into excess fee collection in the name of condonation fee for Tiruvalluvar University during 2024-25 must be constituted, the members said. They have also sought the implementation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, 2023, by universities that call for nomination of only senior-most faculties to the academic council/governing board of autonomous colleges. K. Raja, general secretary of the AUT, said the Higher Education department should initiate immediate steps to release the long-pending salary since April 2024 due to teachers and staffers of erstwhile constituent colleges of Bharathidasan University and withdraw the case filed at the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. The council also resolved to urge Bharathidasan University to absorb the 34 regular teachers against existing vacancy in university departments in consonance with the resolution passed by the syndicate in November 2019. The AUT resolved that the Higher Education department should intervene and impress upon the interim administrator to conduct the elections to the Pachiayappa's Trust Board to enable the constitutions of the college committees at the earliest. On Sunday (May 25, 2025), the AUT elected new office-bearers. R. Saravanan, K. Raja, and K. Syed Ahamed Kabeer were sworn in as president, general secretary, and treasurer, respectively, for the period 2025-2027.
