The prolonged deadlock over appointing vice-chancellors (V-Cs) to state universities in Tamil Nadu has reached a critical point, with no immediate resolution in sight. The crisis deepened after the President of India returned a bill passed by the state assembly that sought to shift the power to appoint and remove the V-C of Madras University from the Governor to the state government.
A System in Paralysis
This development has effectively stalled any quick fix to the impasse that has left a majority of the state's universities without permanent academic leadership. The core of the conflict lies in a persistent tussle between Governor R N Ravi, who is the Chancellor of state universities, and the Chief Minister M K Stalin-led state government over the composition of vice-chancellor search committees.
The key disagreement is the Governor's insistence on including a nominee from the University Grants Commission (UGC) in these panels, a condition the state government opposes. This standoff has had severe consequences: 14 out of 22 state universities, including prominent institutions like Anna University, Bharathiar University, and Bharathidasan University, have been functioning without a regular vice-chancellor for periods extending up to three years.
Voices from the Academic Community
Alarmed by the situation, leading educationists have called for urgent dialogue between the Governor and the Chief Minister to break the deadlock. They warn that the continued leadership vacuum is crippling the state's higher education ecosystem.
E Balagurusamy, former V-C of Anna University, painted a grim picture of the last three years. He stated that state universities have been running "leaderless and directionless," which has adversely affected the quality of research and severely damaged the morale of faculty members. Balagurusamy proposed a clear path forward: "The state govt should withdraw all the 10 bills passed in the Assembly, as they were badly drafted. When the Governor continues to be the chancellor, you cannot change the appointing authority. The Governor also should come down and not insist on a UGC nominee until the university acts are amended. Then the Governor and CM should sit together and solve the issue in the interest of students."
Seeking Interim and Long-Term Solutions
In light of the protracted crisis, some experts have suggested implementing a temporary mechanism to ensure continuity. One proposal is to appoint the senior-most professors in the universities as interim vice-chancellors until permanent appointments are made.
P Duraisamy, former vice-chancellor of the University of Madras, recommended amending the acts and statutes of state universities to formally enable such a provision. This would ensure academic leadership does not completely break down in the absence of a regular V-C and would also create a protocol for handling similar extraordinary situations in the future.
Echoing the concerns about institutional damage, another former V-C, S P Thyagarajan, highlighted that the functioning and public image of the University of Madras have taken a significant hit due to the stalemate. He emphasized the dual urgency of protecting student interests and the university's stature. "A solution has to be found... The CM can sit with the Governor and try to find an amicable solution. Rebuilding the image of state universities after this issue will be very difficult, as they are currently facing a financial crisis," Thyagarajan cautioned.
The ball now lies in the court of the state's top constitutional and executive authorities. With the presidential return of the bill, the path to a legislative solution is blocked, making political consensus and dialogue the only viable way to end an impasse that is holding the future of Tamil Nadu's students and universities hostage.
