Should the director of higher education be an academic?

Prior to January 2024, Principals of Collegiate Education were appointed by Senior Principals of Government Colleges. Things changed when the then government appointed an IAS officer to the post for administrative reasons. Originally the appointment was for one year, but the practice continued.

The department is now facing a crisis. The current director went on leave a few days ago due to health reasons and the government appointed the Commissioner for Technical Education to perform the duties in his place. Apart from being the head of the department that manages the affairs of several colleges, the Principal is also the Chairman of the Vice-Chancellor’s Convenor Committee for Bharathidasan and Madurai Kamaraj Universities. “The day-to-day operations of the department are being adversely affected,” S. Suresh, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers’ Association (TNGCTA), said in a statement.

The department oversees the administration and regulation of colleges in Tamil Nadu, including 181 government arts and science colleges and seven colleges of education. Its functions include institutional administration, disbursement of block grants to colleges, promotion of curriculum development, faculty development programs and management of salaries and career advancement programs (CAS) for staff and faculty of government and aided institutions.

“There has been a significant delay in decision-making, which raises concerns about the well-being of both faculty and students,” said Dr. Suresh. The director also went on vacation in September, when the government similarly entrusted the management of the department to the commissioner for technical education. “The technical education commissioner is also acting as the chairman of the vice-chancellor’s convening committee for Anna and Annamalai universities. Moreover, his charge of the department has only led to more bottlenecks,” he added.

Recalling the practice in the past, he said that whenever the director was away, a joint director in charge of the planning and development division, next in line in the hierarchy, would be assigned. This allowed for continuity of decision-making and allowed the department to function smoothly.

A senior director would be well-versed in the entire operational framework of colleges and would ensure effective administration, he argued. Also, when the director went on leave, the joint director could fill in smoothly to ensure that the day-to-day operations continued without any interruption, noted Dr. Suresh.

Published – 30 Oct 2026 22:29 IST