Chennai: Tamil Nadu's higher education minister, P Viswanathan, informed reporters on Monday that the state government will soon take steps to appoint vice-chancellors (VCs) to state universities. As many as 15 of the 22 state universities have been functioning without a VC for several months, a situation arising from a prolonged tussle between former Governor R N Ravi and the DMK government over the inclusion of the University Grants Commission's (UGC) nominee in VC search panels. The matter is currently pending before the Madras High Court.
Key Issues to Be Discussed
Viswanathan stated that he would discuss critical issues, including the financial crisis in state universities, VC vacancies, and the large number of vacant faculty positions, with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay before making a decision. He chaired a meeting to review college admissions in the state.
Engineering Counseling Schedule
The minister announced that the engineering counseling schedule will be released alongside the rank list on June 29. The last date to apply for engineering admissions has been extended from June 2 to June 5. For BArch courses, candidates can apply until June 20. Parents and students can clarify doubts regarding engineering admissions by contacting TNEA facilitation centers.
Arts and Science Colleges
For Tamil Nadu Government Arts and Science Colleges, the Directorate of Collegiate Education has received 2.24 lakh applications for 1.26 lakh seats. Due to an age limit extension, 1,600 candidates aged between 21 and 40 have applied this year. Counseling for special categories will be conducted on June 5 and 6, while general counseling will take place on June 8 at respective colleges.
Academic Calendar
Classes for second-year and third-year students will begin on June 15, while first-year students will start on July 1. Higher education secretary V Arunroy, commissioner of collegiate education E Sundaravalli, director of technical education S Visakan, and other officials participated in the meeting.
