Chief Minister’s announcement under Rule 110 of the Assembly in June 2018 that 41 constituent colleges of State-run arts and science Universities will be converted into government colleges from the last academic year (2018-19) remains a non-starter.
Academics pointed out that while there was an announcement in this year’s budget on Friday that a new government arts and science college would be opened in the name of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in rameswaram, there was no reference to government’s decision to take over the 41 colleges from universities.
Universities and faculty associations have been demanding the takeover of the colleges since they were seen as a financial burden. A senior official from Bharathidasan University, which has the maximum number of 10 constituent colleges, said the university spent ₹ 20 crore per annum with no source of revenue from the colleges to meet the expenditure.
Mr. Palaniswami had announced in the Assembly that the government would incur an additional cost of ₹ 152.2 crore per year when it took over the colleges.
Quality
Constituent colleges have often been blamed for their substandard quality.
“With almost all the staff engaged on a temporary basis and lack of adequate infrastructure like labs, libraries and playgrounds in most colleges, students, predominantly from underprivileged background, get a raw deal,” said S. Suresh, State joint secretary, Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers’ Association (TNGCTA).
“Higher Education department must issue an order to take over the colleges from at least 2019-20,” he added.
Sources in the department, however, said the takeover was unlikely in the near future, because of the complications involved in the finances and the appointments of faculty members.
“Even if it happens, all the colleges will not be converted in one go,” a senior official said.
Dismissing the concerns, Higher Education Minister K.P. Anbalagan told The Hindu that the government had not given up the proposal, but was making steady progress.
“As a first step, from last academic year, we asked all 41 colleges to charge a fee on a par with government colleges. So, from the students’ perspective, it is same as studying in government colleges,” he said.
Staff, infrastructure
On concerns over temporary teaching staff and lack of infrastructure, he said staff were recruited as per qualifications stipulated by University Grants Commission. “Therefore, there is no compromise on quality. On infrastructure, we will conduct a review to bridge the gaps,” he said.
Highlighting that the government has given approval to recruit 2,334 teaching staff in government colleges through Teachers Recruitment Board, he said the takeover of constituent colleges would be expedited after the recruitment.