Alagappa, Manonmaniam Sundaranar Universities will be given the charge of Vice-Chancellors

Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan says the state government is communicating with the Lok Bhavan for a permanent solution to the VC appointment issue. | Photo credit: S. Shivaraj

The syndicates of Tamil Nadu’s two state universities may hold the key to how the state’s public universities are managed. Here is the tutorial.

The Convener Committee system, introduced in 10 universities functioning without vice-chancellors in the last two years, has led to serious administrative and academic hurdles that have called for a review. Speaking to The Hindu on Saturday, Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan said in two other universities – Alagappa and Manonmaniam Sundaranar – the tenure of the Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) ended earlier this month, prompting the department to appoint senior professors to serve as VC-in-charge. If this arrangement proves to be effective, it could well be extended to all other universities, he added.

J. Jeyakanthan, Senior Professor and Head of the Department of Bioinformatics, has been appointed as Senior Head for Alagappa University, while S. Prabhakar of the Department of English has been appointed as Senior Head for Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. “The objective is simple: universities must continue to function smoothly. Convocations, financial approvals, academic decisions and other administrative processes should not be affected due to vacancies,” the minister said.

“Currently, the relationship between the governor and the chief minister is much smoother and that is important for the functioning of the government. We don’t want unnecessary confrontations,” Viswanathan said.

However, the arrangement was a “purely interim and temporary” measure taken in accordance with the university’s bylaws, officials clarified. The syndicates of the two universities are due to meet early next month and are likely to discuss the pros and cons of the existing Convener Committee system and other alternative systems. Suffice it to say that the outcome of these two meetings may decide the fate of university administration in the state. The matter has been mired in litigation ever since K. Venkatachalapathy of Tirunelveli filed a suit in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court challenging several laws passed by the Assembly aimed at amending the statutes governing various state-run universities. The final hearing of this case will be held on September 2.

For a more permanent solution, the state government has opened a channel of communication with the Lok Bhavan, Mr. Viswanathan told The Hindu. The bone of contention between the state government and the governor was the composition of the VC search committees. “The inclusion of a candidate from the University Grants Commission was discussed. This matter requires a political decision and may also require legislative changes,” he added. Mr. Viswanathan hoped that a solution would be worked out soon, perhaps before the end of the current Assembly session.

Published – 29 Aug 2026 23:22 IST