Forty-three persons have applied for the post of Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University. Applicants include academicians from West Bengal, Karnataka and Kerala.

Nearly 20 academicians from various departments of the university have also applied for the coveted post. The last date to apply was June 1.

The Indian Council for Agricultural Research has ranked the institution among the top 25 State agricultural universities. Quite a few applicants have degrees in subjects such as botany and zoology. Several applicants are also listed by their names and residential addresses, without details of their qualifications.

An official said that academicians who have held high posts, former V-Cs and those who have held the post of director at a research institution were eligible to apply for the post.

Senior academicians and those in V-C search committees in the State had demanded that qualifications of candidates be published along with their names so that applicants’ potential could be assessed.

An applicant said that anyone with the required qualifications could apply for the post. “It is an administrative post requiring the capability to run an institution. A degree or qualification in the subject which the university deals with is not important,” a candidate pointed out.

Applicants feel that the number of aspirants would have been higher but for the COVID-19 pandemic. “There are a lot of qualified people who have not applied,” said an applicant.

Statute amended

A senior academician said that the university had recently amended its statute, prescribing a four-year Bachelor of Fisheries Science, a professional degree, as a prerequisite for the post.

A university official said that the amendment had been introduced in the Assembly earlier this year but had not received the consent of the Governor, who is also the chancellor of the State university.

“It is possible that not many are aware of the requirement,” he said.